Legislature approves HVCC budget
TROY, N.Y. >> Members of the Rensselaer County Legislature voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the 2018-19 school year budget for Hudson Valley Community College.
The county has been a sponsor of the community college located in Troy since the school’s founding more than 60 years ago.
College officials said that this year’s operating budget is $96,125,049 (excluding grants and contracts), with no request for a county sponsorship increase. As part of the 2016-17 budget for HVCC, the legislature agreed to contribute nearly $5 million towards the college’s budget.
College tuition is expected to rise $75 per semester this coming year. Even with this modest growth, college officials said HVCC has one of the lowest college costs within the entire state – $4,650 per year for full-time, state residents. Of SUNY’s 30 community colleges, Hudson Valley’s tuition comes in at $31 below the average, and only 11 institutions have a lower price tag than HVCC.
Newly appointed HVCC President Roger Ramsammy was in attendance with several other college officials and was pleased to see the legislature unanimously support the college’s operating budget again. Prior to the legislature approving the college’s budget, Ramsammy described HVCC as being “the best bang for the buck.”
Ramsammy, who started his new position only a couple of weeks ago after outgoing President Drew Matonak retired after serving 13 years with the college, comes to Hudson Valley with more than 30 years of higher education experience, including academic and administrative leadership positions at three of the largest multi- campus colleges in the United States. He is the former president of the West Campus of Miami Dade College and previously served as provost and chief academic officer at Northern Virginia Community College. Prior to that, at Palm Beach State College, he was professor of Microbiology and Anatomy and Physiology, chair of Biology, associate dean of STEM and dean of Academic Affairs.
“There’s no better feeling,” said Ramsammy after the meet-
ing when asked about how it feels to have his first operating budget approved by the county legislature. “Certainly that means that [the legislature] is proud of the college and they are very happy with the job that we are doing.”
During the regular legislature meeting Tuesday night, the legislature also unanimously voted to appoint legislator Tom Grant, R- East Greenbush, to HVCC’s Board of Trustees.
“First off, I appreciate the confidence that my fellow colleagues in the legislature expect in supporting me for the position, I intend to work hard and listen very carefully and work to the best of my abilities to make sure that Hudson Valley continues in its role as a preeminent institution in our county and I look forward to serving,” said Grant.
Grant along with other legislators were also happy to vote in favor of the college’s operating budget Tuesday night and believe that the budget is a good operating budget to work from.
“It’s a responsible budget, officials from the college came in and worked with us throughout the committee process and it’s something that’s going to serve the residents of Rensselaer County very well,” said Grant.
“Hudson Valley’s budget has no additional cost to the taxpayers of Rensselaer County. We are pleased to continue to support their efforts and honored to call them a jewel of Rensselaer County. As President Ramsammy said at our meeting, it is a great bang for the buck”, said Chairman Mike Stammel, R-Rensselaer.
“We are always pleased to partner with Hudson Val- ley Community College and we appreciate their concern at always minimizing the cost to residents of Rensselaer County and still managing to keep the quality of education and services that they offer,” added Democratic Minority Leader Peter Grimm, D-Troy.