New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s office is weighing in on the state of the state’s colleges and universities with a report on the challenges facing New York’s 150 private colleges and universities and 64 SUNY campuses.
The report looks at how New York higher education system stacks up against other states, with a focus on “developing human capital” and contributing to research and development.
Here are some key takeaways:
The enrollment cliff
New York is facing the same challenges as all of higher ed, mainly the looming “enrollment cliff” when the national population of 18- to 24-year-olds plunges starting next year, against the growing cost of attending college and rising student debt.
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As enrollment in higher education has increased nationally, New York’s market share of college students has decreased from 1 in 11 in 1970 to about 1 in 20 today. In fall 2022, New York’s institutions attracted 896,000 students, the lowest number in 15 years, the report says.
Schools that suffered the biggest enrollment drops before and during the Covid-19 pandemic are fighting financial threats today, including SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Fredonia and SUNY Buffalo State University, which all saw enrollment drop more than 40% in the past decade and are tightening their belts to address large deficits.
At the same time, international student enrollment is growing and reached 1 million last academic year, over 5% of total U.S. enrollment, the report says. New York is second only to California in attracting international students, with 24,500 enrolled at New York University, 19,000 at Columbia University and 7,700 at the University at Buffalo, the report says.
Graduation rates
Collectively, New York schools also exceeded the national average in getting enrolled students to complete their degrees – 69% compared to 62%.
But the performance of individual institutes varies, with some suffering steeper enrollment declines and lower completion rates than others, the report says.
The worst completion rates are among community colleges. “Less than half of students in public two-year colleges who began in 2016 completed their coursework by June 2022,” the report says.
Research and development
New York has consistently ranked second nationally for research and development expenditures since 2010, and its share of all R&D spending by higher education increased from 8%, or $4.9 billion, in 2010 to 8.5%, or $7.5 billion in 2021.
However, private-sector institutions have been responsible for 75% of New York’s higher ed R&D spending.
“This contrasts with most peer states, where public institutions undertake most R&D expenditures,” the report notes.
In 2021, New York ranked No. 1 in R&D spending by private sector institutions and No. 12 for public universities.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration is working to boost federal research funding at SUNY schools, especially SUNY flagships the University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University, that will give public research universities a greater in share of R&D.
Student debt burdens
The cost of an undergraduate education at New York’s private and public institutions is higher than the national average.
“Costs for in-state students at public community colleges were 59% higher than the national average (in 2020-21) and have grown more rapidly at public four-year institutions than the national average,” the report says.
As those costs have grown, student debt has increased, “leading some to question the returns from a college degree,” the report says.
The report acknowledges that SUNY and many private schools are already taking action to make college more accessible to low-income and underrepresented students with more financial aid to attend and more academic and social supports once they get there.
Recommendations
DiNapoli endorsed the recommendations in the recent SUNY Report on Enrollment and Financial Sustainability, including outreach to traditionally overlooked and low-income groups like formerly incarcerated people, student parents and working adults to increase upward mobility.
The comptroller also emphasized the need for higher education institutions to tailor their programs to reflect the industry workforce opportunities in their areas, including offering more short-term certifications with pathways to employment.
DiNapoli noted that Micron Technology’s plan to build a $100 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant near Syracuse includes investing in a new Northeast University Semiconductor Network that includes SUNY, CUNY, Clarkson University, Syracuse University, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Columbia University and Cornell.
The partnership will be tasked with updating academic programs and supporting workforce training in artificial intelligence, quantum mechanics, clean energy and other industry needs for the future.
The report also recommended that New York consider setting a goal of educational attainment in its population by a certain age and consider forming a statewide entity to help coordinate and manage R&D activity that includes higher education.
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