Dear New York Tech students, staff, and faculty,

In late March, I wrote to you about our advocacy efforts, which included calling on New York State legislators to prioritize student financial aid as part of the state’s final budget.

It is my pleasure to report that the state budget approved last week has several big wins for our community and higher education in general. All the work to mobilize in support of our community has paid off—the Student Aid Advocacy Day and your direct communications with legislators, as well as campaigns by the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities and its advocacy group, which I am chairing this year.

Our collective outreach has yielded the largest increase in TAP in decades, increased funding for opportunity programs, preserved R&D funding, and restored Bundy Aid. In all, this represents nearly $147 million in increased support for students and institutions in New York State. The following are noteworthy highlights:

• Bundy Aid restored: The final budget includes $35.1 million for Bundy Aid, a significant restoration after the executive budget proposal eliminated funding entirely. It also restores $16.9 million that was withheld during the prior fiscal year.
• TAP maximum award increased by $500: The final budget includes a $500 increase to the maximum TAP award, bringing the maximum award to $5,665. This year’s increase is also a significant return to the state’s traditional position of providing aid to all students, regardless of the sector in which they enroll. We owe a special thanks to the students and campus coordinators who participated in our virtual Advocacy Day this year.
• Opportunity Program funding increased by 20 percent: Funding for all opportunity programs, including HEOP, STEP/CSTEP, and Liberty Partnerships Program, was increased by 20 percent, rejecting the executive proposal to keep funding flat. This is also another testament to our collective advocacy, including the efforts of students who participate in Advocacy Day and groups like HEOPPO, APACS, Liberty Partnerships Program, NYSACAC, and NYSFAAA that connect students and advocates with policymakers so they can hear directly about the benefits of these programs.
• Funding flat for HESC-administered student aid programs: Funding for HESC-administered student aid programs, including the Masters-in-Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship Program and several others, will be flat in the coming fiscal year.
• No new funding for HECap: Unfortunately, the final budget does not include another round of capital funding for HECap, even though both the Senate and Assembly included funding in their one-house proposals.

Thank you again for your efforts in advocating for these programs to be fully funded. Now that so many of our goals have become a reality, we are able to breathe a sigh of relief for now. To ensure that our priorities are understood by our legislators, we must remain vigilant, and our advocacy work will continue. I promise to keep you informed.

Sincerely,

Hank Foley, Ph.D.
President, New York Institute of Technology