SUNY New Paltz facing $4 million deficit
SUNY New Paltz is facing a projected $4 million deficit in its current budget, which the college plans to cover with its cash reserves.
At the same time, the college has notified about half of its adjunct professors that they may not be invited back to teach in the fall. College spokeswoman Chrissie Williams said “this is a way of helping the institution plan effectively in how we allocate our finite resources.”
Michele Halstead, vice president for administration and finance at SUNY New Paltz, said she and college President Donald Christian reported in mid-February that the college faces a projected $4 million budget deficit for the current fiscal year.
“The deficit stems from increased expenditure needs, such as the minimum wage increase and other mandates, coupled with no new revenue,” Halstead said in a statement. “Factors that contributed to the deficit include stagnant tuition, declines in state support and diminishing enrollment revenue from graduate and international students, consistent with national trends.”
According to information provided by the college, SUNY New Paltz had 835 graduate students enrolled in 2016, versus 990 in 2012.
For faculty, the college reported it has 373 full-time and 247 parttime, or adjunct, employees as of fall 2016.
“Estimated expenditures in our core operating budget, which includes our instructional costs, are about $72 million and our estimated revenue is about $68 million, resulting in a $4 million projected deficit for 2016-17, which we are covering with cash reserves,” Halstead said. “We are still discussing measures to bring our
economy into balance for fiscal year 2017-18, which begins July 1, 2017.” She said that budget won’t be completed until this spring, after the state budget is adopted.
Halstead added that the college has needed to adjust its budget in past years. She said that included in 200809 and in 2010-11. Halstead said the college did so “carefully and successfully to sustain educational opportunity and academic quality for our students.”
As for the adjunct professors, Williams said in a statement that those who have taught for SUNY New Paltz “for more than four semesters and who are not assigned a class at this time will receive a letter of release. The letter makes clear that the notification only means we don’t have a class for them assigned as of the present moment. This process is standard across SUNY and consistent with their union contract.”
Williams said about half of the college’s adjuncts would receive the notification.
“Students begin registration for summer and fall classes in April,” Williams said. “As happens each spring, some adjuncts will not be invited to teach in the fall. This is a routine occurrence.” She said the college would not know until at least early May how many of the adjuncts will not be invited back.