SUNY leaders pushing for boost in funds to state’s tuition assistance program

ALBANY, N.Y. (WHEC) — Faculty and staff within the State University of New York system are pushing on lawmakers to boost the funding of its Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

Speaking to WNYT, the union representing SUNY workers says five years of budgets have kept funding "essentially flat", which is causing a gap in the difference between the cost of attending a SUNY college and what the program provides for students.

TAP provides opportunities for students who might not be able to afford a SUNY education to get access to higher education through grants across the state.

"SUNY cannot succeed without the leaders of New York standing for the students we and UUP serve," United University Professors President Fredrick Kowal said. "The time for austerity budgets, the hammer which Andrew Cuomo pounded away at SUNY for 11 years, is over."

The debate over the state budget will begin when Governor Hochul introduces her plan early next year.