The State University of New York at Stony Brook confirmed on Wednesday that it will shut down large portions of its Southampton campus, starting this summer, in response to the state’s budget crisis.
Newsday first reported the plans to close residence halls and eliminate most of the campus’s programs, citing comments from state lawmakers who had been briefed by the university’s president. Stony Brook confirmed those reports and offered more details in a news release and other information posted on its Web site later in the day.
A marine-science program and a writing program will remain open at Southampton, and residential students will be given priority for dorm space on the main campus, the university said. It is also closing one of its Manhattan spaces.
Stony Brook acquired the Southampton campus, which focuses on sustainability, in 2006.
State representatives and officials connected to the campus were shocked and outraged. Fred Thiele, a New York Assemblyman who represents Southampton, said in a statement that the decision to close the campus was “wrong on every level.”
“The projected savings from mothballing the campus simply don’t add up. Savings are grossly overestimated,” the lawmaker’s statement said. “In addition, higher education is the key to economic recovery; the decision that Stony Brook makes today will cripple efforts at economic revitalization and put more local people out of work.”
The university’s president, Samuel L. Stanley Jr., said the cuts were forced by a 20-percent reduction in state funds. “With no apparent relief from Albany, we must be fiscally responsible and live within our means,” he said in the university’s news release.
Stony Brook has sunk a lot of money—some $75-million—into acquiring and fixing buildings on the campus, which was formerly a graduate campus of Long Island University. And architects had been expected on the campus today to propose plans for new buildings, Newsday reported.
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6 Responses to Stony Brook Will Scale Back Its Sustainability Campus in Southampton
nydave - April 7, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Ha. State Assemblyman Thiele has a lot of nerve. SUNY has undergone more than a half BILLION (yes, billion) dollars in cuts in state support over the past three years…..all thanks to the state legislature’s unwillingness to take on the K-12 unions (funding increased over this period), stop the billions in waste in the NY State Medicaid debacle ($45 billion spent by NY matched ny $45 billion in federal funds…..more than Texas and California combined), and the shell game of money that makes NY look like a supporter of higher education (taking tuition dollars from the campuses and placing the funds into state coffers, then reallocating it to the campuses, and subsequently counting it as state aid to higher education.) New York is not 5th or 6th in state support as the Chronicle annually reports……it is more like 45th or 46th. Thiele says “higher education is the key to economic recovery.” Prove that is what you believe, Assemblyman, and vote accordingly as the budget process grinds its way to conclusion. Oh. and by the way, Assemblyman Thiele, the budget up for a vote contains an additional $138 million reduction in state support to SUNY.
gerrybob - April 7, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Well Said nydave
dkpetal - April 7, 2010 at 5:47 pm
The legislators are shocked? After doing nothing to stop massive budget cut after massive budget cut to SUNY? After consistently opposing any sort of tuition increase that would go to the campuses to help them deal with the dire financial situation? SUNY tuition for New Yorkers is half that of in-state tuition for surrounding states. The out of state tuition at SUNY is lower than the in-state tuition for surrounding states. There has been a complete refusal by the legislature to allow higher tuition for the four research campuses than for the state colleges; all 64 SUNY campuses charge the same (low, low) tuition. Yes, there are 64 SUNY campuses!–why should any congressman’s district be without one? The irrational and political decision making has left Stony Brook (and SUNY) with few viable (or even inviable) options. Closing Southampton is terrible news, but I don’t see that the NY legislature–including the local legislators–have left many alternatives. There is a bill before them to allow SUNY to make decisions on tuition–currently this is decided by the legislature–and to allow the campuses to use the tuition paid by their students. These legislators mentioned oppose this legislation. The professors union, UUP, also opposes it, although failing to come up with alternatives is going to result in serious job losses at Stony Brook, both on main campus and Southampton. From a Stony Brook Professor
eryx1959 - April 7, 2010 at 8:01 pm
I interviewed for a position at this campus last year, and I’m consequently very familiar with what they are trying to do. I’m amazed at the shortsightedness of their state legislature should they opt to close this program down in the name of financial expediency. As noted above, a substantial investment has already been made to establish this program and build new facilities, which are CENTERED AROUND THE STUDENTS, i.e., a library, dorm space. As is also indicated above, SUNY seems to do a lot with a very little (like many State University systems)To deny students an education in 21st Century environmental realities is a blow to our national competitiveness for future jobs. Kudos to Mr. Thiele for recognizing this, he is a forward-thinking legislator in an era where very few politicians have that kind of vision. I hope that saner heads prevail.
nydave - April 8, 2010 at 2:19 pm
To eryx1959:We shall see how forward thinking Mr. Theile is when we see how he votes on the empowerment bill that frees SUNY from being a political football every year……and we shall see how he votes on a budget that contains the 6th legislatively-imposed reduction to SUNY in the past 2 and 1/2 years. If he has such vision, he would surely recognize that a continued loss of state support and a refusal to allow a tuition increase to close the support gap will inevitably result in a loss of programs. By the way……you may want to check his voting record with respect to last year’s small tuition increase. The legislature approved the increase, and then took 90% of the tuition revenue and put it in the state’s general fund. It never made its way back to the campuses. Unprecidented in the state of New York……a surtax on all tuition-paying citizens.
eryx1959 - April 8, 2010 at 8:32 pm
nydave:That’s interesting (albeit depressing). In our state, the Legislature funds about 15% of our budget, and then regularly yanks a big chunk of that back. I’m not sure which lunacy is worse.