Plan has SUNY campuses vying for state aid

State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher will announce a plan to make campuses compete for some state aid as a way to trigger improvements, a SUNY official said Tuesday.

Zimpher will outline the plan in her "State of the University" speech, set for Wednesday.

Campuses would vie for state aid based on how they perform in certain priority areas (such as research and graduation rates) and will participate in defining the new funding formula, said the official, who asked for anonymity because details of the speech have not been made public yet.

"This is thinking outside the box," said Lou Howard, a Stony Brook University Council member and former SUNY trustee.

"Stony Brook this way will get the recognition it deserves as one of the top universities in the world," Howard said.

Fellow council member Jim Morgo said Stony Brook would benefit. "Excellence should be rewarded," he said.

SUNY Old Westbury spokesman Michael Kinane and Farmingdale State College spokeswoman Kathy Coley declined to comment, saying they had not seen details on the plan.

Zimpher will deliver her address at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. Video and audio feeds will be available at www.suny.edu.

Last year, Zimpher and SUNY officials made a strong but unsuccessful push to get the State Legislature to adopt a "SUNY Empowerment" plan. Under it, schools would set tuition rates, enter into public-private partnerships and streamline the procurement process - without having to get legislative approval. Some legislators have vowed to raise the issue again this year.