New Investment Plan Will Fund Master Plan Students Flee Katrina

Taxpayer support for public colleges has been falling sharply in recent years, not only in New York but around the country, and this has lately been causing a great deal of concern among many administra t o r s. The trend has also led to j o l t i n g , unpredictable tuition i n c r e a s e s. But CUNY has developed a long-term plan that could become a national model for the funding of public colleges and keep the University on its current upward course, i n c r e a sing enrollment and expanding academic offerings. It is called “Investing in Futures: Financing the CUNY Master Plan” and it offers a way to “ s e l f l e v e ra g e ” t h e U n i v e r s i t y ’s budget, by using private donations along with public funding. The plan will allow the University to continue adding full-time faculty — about 200 in fis c a l year 2007 — while paying for needed new academic initiatives and keeping tuition increases to a minimum. “New Yorkers must begin to see an investment in higher education that will assure that these institutions are healthy and vibra n t , and can meet the state’s critical need for a quality system,” C h a n c e l l o r Matthew Goldstein said in remarks prepared for a recent meeting with budget o f ficials from the campuses. “ We cannot meet New Yorkers’ demand for quality without investment,” t h e Chancellor continued. “ We also cannot just sit by and wait for something to happen. We must be prepared to lead and to propose innovative solutions. I believe our plan is a bold one and I am prepared to lead the