Update on UB2020/SUNY Empowerment Summit

By Gail Glover

In recent months, there has been a great deal of talk about adopting an economic development plan for the entire State University of New York system. In early May, the talk will get serious.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to convene the UB2020/SUNY Empowerment Summit on May 6, in which he will lead a discussion on the special role SUNY campuses, particularly the university centers, can and must play in the state’s economic revitalization efforts.

The plan would grant campuses an unprecedented level of autonomy from the SUNY system. It could, for example, offer Binghamton University a range of resources and flexibility that would allow us to play a much bigger role in driving true economic growth and jobs in both the Binghamton community and New York state.

The plan also calls for the implementation of a rational tuition plan that will provide a predictable revenue stream and ensure program quality and support for new initiatives at Binghamton University.

Binghamton representatives will be at the summit to make sure that the University does not miss out on the revenue and opportunities that the adoption of the UB2020 plan would offer us. We have worked closely with the other SUNY campuses and believe that, with the capabilities provided through the plan, the four university centers could be aggressive catalysts for action in each of their regions and collectively, have unprecedented impact on all of New York state.