2022-23 New York State Enacted Budget

The enacted state budget includes $75 million for Albany AI. Through this multifaceted program, UAlbany will work with government, educational, and industry partners to significantly expand the artificial intelligence supercomputing resources available in New York for teaching and research well beyond traditional STEM applications, including the arts and humanities. This transformational funding will also allow the university to complete the renovation of the former Albany High School as the home of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences--a marquee project for UAlbany and the City of Albany that has been seven years in the making.

Funding for UAlbany’s NYSTAR Center of Excellence (COE) in Atmospheric and Environmental Prediction and Innovation (Weather and Climate Analytics) was increased by $200,000 over last year's $800,000 level to $1 million, bringing it to the same amount as the other 13 COEs. Our COE will continue bringing businesses and researchers together to devise innovative solutions to the problems faced by weather-sensitive industries.

• The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany (CARD Albany) is a university-affiliated resource center that brings research and practice together in community settings. The budget funds the Center at $1.74 million, same as last year.
• Just for the Kids (NYKids) within the School of Education is the only New York-focused, evidenced-based school improvement program in the State that compares the performance of equally-resourced and similarly challenged schools, and then identifies the best practices that explain what relates to the "achievement gap" between high-achieving schools and lower-performing schools. This initiative was level-funded at $235,000.
• The School of Social Welfare received level funding of $210,000 for evaluating the Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Veterans Program that uses new and innovative support interventions to help veterans with PTSD transition and reintegrate back into civilian life.
• The Center for Women in Government and Civil Society received $100,000 for the Immigrant Integration Index that seeks to quantify the moderating effects of nativity status, race/ethnicity and gender in shaping socioeconomic outcomes of foreign-born New Yorkers.

The following are School of Public Health initiatives included in the Enacted Budget:

• $261,600 in level funding for the Public Health Management Leaders of Tomorrow program (PHLOT), established in 2006, that strengthens the public health infrastructure across New York by providing programs (e.g., tuition awards, internship stipends, leadership training and scholarships) designed to offer novel educational opportunities to state and local public health professionals, as well as to the next generation of public health leaders at the School of Public Health.
• $487,000 for Physician Workforce Studies - the Center for Health Workforce Studies, under contract with the NYS Department of Health, monitors the state's health workforce and identifies areas around the state with shortages of primary care, oral health and behavioral health providers.
• $32,000 for Public Health Live, a monthly webcast series designed to provide continuing education opportunities on public health issues.

Excelsior Scholarship Program

• Accelerating the Excelsior Scholarship program tuition re-set in 2022-23 and providing for it to be re-set on an annual basis

Highlights

• No reductions to 2021-22 direct state tax funding levels for any programs or campuses
• One-time investment of $60 million in campus/college/hospital operations that are intended to increase enrollment, strengthen academic programs, and support the evolution of the SUNY system
• Elimination of the SUNY "TAP Gap" fully in 2022-23, as opposed to the multi-year phase-in included in last year's Enacted Budget
• Expanding the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to include part-time students
• Increases to opportunity programs, including EOP
• $53 million in support of hiring additional full-time faculty at state-operated campuses and community colleges -- note: reporting on hiring faculty will be required from SUNY (and CUNY) on how funding provided in the Enacted Budget is utilized
• $18 million for another round of the SUNY Investment and Performance Fund
• $10.8 million in new, one-time, direct state tax support for the expansion of Child Care Centers across SUNY state-operated campuses and community colleges
• An increase of $1 million for mental health services to $2 million
• Local boards of election are required to establish one or more poll sites on college campuses whenever it contains 300 or more registrants (BOE has until 8/1/22 to designate a location and delays implementation until 1/1/23 for all components)
• Note: The Enacted Budget does not include the following:
  • Academic program review reforms
  • Ceasing the practice of transcript withholding (a separate bill was passed by the Senate and Assembly that primarily follows the Executive's proposal but with some amendments)
  • Transferring regulation of the professions from SED to DOH
  • Five-year capital plans
  • Enhanced Maintenance of Effort (MOE)
  • Increased TAP awards
  • Elimination of graduate student fees
  • Procurement changes

SUNY Capital

• Includes the Executive's proposed $425 million in new, flexible bonded capital (this is offset by the elimination of the $200 million SUNY Capital Matching Program and remaining/unutilized NYSUNY 2020 capital appropriations)
• A new round of $500 million in critical maintenance, comparable to last year's funding level systemwide (UAlbany receives $9.85 million -- previously $9.63 million)
• An additional $225 million in new, flexible bonded capital in a lump sum
• $10 million for improvements and maintenance for educational opportunity centers (EOCs)

Student Financial Aid and Support

Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)

• TAP is funded at $897 million, a decrease of approximately $38 million from last year.

Opportunity Programs

• The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) funding was increased by approximately $5.2 million for a total of $43.8 million
• The Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) funding was increased by approximately $2.5 million for a total of $21.5 million
• The Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (C-STEP) funding was increased by approximately $1.9 million for a total of $16.3 million
• The Liberty Partnership Program funding was increased by approximately $3 million for a total of $25 million

The following economic development programs were also included in the Enacted Budget:

• $150 million for another round of Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) funding for investment in innovative plans for regional job creation and community development 
• $100 million for a new round of Downtown Revitalization awards
• $14 million for the Centers of Excellence (COE), an increase of approximately $2 million from last year's level; UAlbany's COE was increased to $1,000,000 (previously funded at $800,000)
• $15 million for the Centers for Advanced Technology (CAT) program, an increase of approximately $1.4 million from last year’s level