Southampton - Below is a letter written by Bob Martin, Chairman of the Stony Brook Southampton Dean's Council.
On April 6, Martin met with Stony Brook president Samuel Stanley and Provost
Eric Kaler, together with elected representatives from the East End of Long Island, including Congressman
Tim Bishop, State Senator
Ken LaValle, and Assemblyman
Fred Thiele. The purpose of the meeting was to seek clarity about a rumor about plans to shutter the Southampton campus.
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Crowds gathered to hear speakers and show their support. |
In part, Martin states "President Stanley confirmed his decision to close the residential college, leaving in place the research presence of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the Master of Fine Arts in Writing program.
President Stanley asserted that given a $33.5 million budget gap imposed on the Stony Brook University budget by Albany, he was forced to eliminate programs and campuses. He made the point that his inability to increase tuition or address personnel costs (union contracts) gave him no other option. He conceded that he did not consider other scenarios that would generate revenue or innovation programs to improve effectiveness and efficiencies. President Stanley indicated that he would explore other revenue generating options in the future but remained adamant in his determination to close the residential college.
The Stony Brook Dean's Council position is that the traditional state university model is outdated. Most states are facing the same budgetary issues and it is unlikely that the economy is going to provide the state revenues necessary to reinstate the funds that have been cut. Even if the economy recovers, the $13 trillion and rising debt the taxpayers must repay will only reduce state budgets in the future. A new model for the state university system is required and the Southampton campus is the perfect venue. By making Southampton the lead campus to address seemingly irresolvable issues it will allow the state to deliver on its verbal commitment to the people of Long Island and to leverage the $75 million to $115 million invested in the campus over the past two years. We suggest the appointment of a committee to envision the Southampton Campus on the part of Stony Brook and viable partners with the goal of creating a new model for the state university.
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Politicians were on hand to encourage alternatives. |
"There will be a lot of finger pointing resulting from the decision to mothball all but two buildings on the campus and to eliminate the visionary sustainability program. It is the Dean's Council view that the Southampton campus is a viable and strategically important location. The East End in itself is an environmental laboratory where artistic talent resides. A perfect fit to a well thought out vision. To abandon that critically important vision to close a fixable budget gap is inappropriate.
"The community is enthusiastic and the potential for their support evident. Impressive progress has been made on almost every level. Today we can say that Stony Brook Southampton is the only residential campus focused on sustainability; the only campus with an integrated curriculum that addresses a global priority; the only campus with programs that will produce graduates prepared to meet the challenges of environmental change. Certainly this is a vision worth pursuing.
The Dean's Council, Dean Pearl and her organization are in the process of preparing the strategic plan for the campus; one that accelerates the positive momentum of the sustainability program and leverages the full potential of the Master in Fine Arts program by expanding it into new areas. We therefore think it is reasonable to request that Albany and Stony Brook University work together to find an alternative solution to generating the $6 million savings while working with us to create a long-term, sustainable plan for the future of the Stony Brook Southampton campus as a vibrant educational institution."
Councilman Christopher Nuzzi also sent the following to Dr.
Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., President, Stony Brook University:
Dear Dr. Stanley:
I was saddened and dismayed to learn of the drastic cuts that are planned at the Stony Brook Southampton campus. Including the purchase price, in the four years since becoming part of Stony Brook University, an estimated $78 million in state taxpayer dollars has been invested there. In that time the campus has garnered notoriety and praise particularly for their commitment to sustainability, reflected in their curriculum and the construction of the first LEED-certified library on Long Island. The fall 2010 admissions were expected to quadruple from the 2006 inaugural year, with continued expansion and growth on the horizon. It seems extremely short-sighted to throw away the substantial funds and resources that have been devoted to the school in the infancy of its growth.
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Students have also formed organizations in support of keeping the campus open. |
The presence of the university has also meant a great deal to our community in other ways. It has employed our residents in administrative, faculty, construction, and other jobs. The university has also provided the Town with internship support for budget and finance matters and the Town has inquired about similar positions for our sustainability initiatives. Stony Brook has afforded continuing education opportunities for both employees and local citizens, and has hosted numerous conferences, forums, and cultural events.
Despite the current financial challenges, I look forward to a productive relationship with Stony Brook University and remain hopeful that it can continue to operate in Southampton as both a regional asset and institution of higher learning
Sincerely, Christopher R. Nuzzi, Councilman
Below is a another letter issued on behalf of the students and school:
Dear Chancellor Zimpher and President Stanley:
We, the undersigned, represent the Southampton community as elected government officials. We oppose in the strongest possible terms the decision to close the Southampton campus. We believe the decision is ill-considered and contrary to the goals of public higher education in the State of New York.
In the interests of constructive dialogue, we offer a concrete proposal to secure the long term future of the Southampton campus and avoid the closure of the campus through a plan that will provide the resources required for success at Southampton. In the interests of a cooperative solution, we make the following proposal and seek an immediate meeting with you to discuss an agreement and implementation plan:
(1) The Town of Southampton, pursuant to its Community Preservation Fund (CPF), would acquire from the State University of New York all the development rights which attach to the 82 acre campus excluding land needed for development improvements and reserved area. The Community Preservation Fund can be used to purchase "rights in real property for the preservation of community character". Community character involves preservation of: (1) lands of exceptional scenic value, (2) recreational lands, and (3) historic places, all of these lands possess. The property is zoned R-60 and would yield a development right for each 60,000 square feet of land, resulting in a yield of 40-45 development rights. The value of all buildings and the value of the campus for education and other related uses would not be included in determining the worth of the development rights. Subject to the foregoing, the actual value would have to be negotiated and subject to a formal appraisal. The possibility of an installment sale for this transaction could also be considered;
(2) The Town of Southampton would reserve the right to "bank" these development rights to be utilized for changes of zone or zoning variances in other parts of the Town. In so doing, the population density of the Town would be unaffected and the sale of development rights could be used to replenish the Community Preservation Fund;
(3) SUNY would retain the underlying fee title to the land, which would include the right to use the property for educational and other similar enumerated not-for-profit purposes;
(4) SUNY would place the proceeds of the sale in a dedicated fund to be used solely for the operation of the campus as a four year residential college;
(5) SUNY would pledge to continue to operate the campus as a 4 year residential college;
(6) SUNY would transfer governance of the college from a satellite of Stony Brook to an independent separate college of SUNY within 24 months; and
(7) SUNY could not discontinue the operation of a four year residential college at Southampton without at least one year's notice to the public. Under such circumstances, the Town of Southampton would possess a right of first refusal to purchase the remaining interest in the property.
This proposal represents a good faith effort to continue higher education at the Southampton campus, which we believe is in the best interests of SUNY as well as the East End community. Further, this proposal would create a framework that insures the future success of this campus as an institution of higher education. Finally, it contains the flexibility required to permit SUNY to adapt to future education needs at Southampton.
We look forward to the opportunity to discuss this proposal at the earliest possible juncture.
Sincerely, (original signed by): Fred W. Theile, Jr.,
Kenneth P. LaValle, Anne Throne-Holst, Christopher Nuzzi, James Malone,
Bridget Fleming,
Mark Epley, J. Richard Boyes,
Dominick Stanzione, Tim Bishop
Thiele also added: "Please find link below to SUNY's "Strategic Plan 2010 and Beyond" which was forwarded to my office. As you will see on page one (or three of 26), a map depicting SUNY campus locations fails to identify the Southampton campus."
www.suny.edu/powerofsuny/pdf/SUNY_StrategicPlan.pdf.
Guest (Ralph Herbert) from Australia says:
copy of letter to editor. Dear Editor, We often get newsletters from our local elected Representatives, Bishop, Lavalle, and Theile, standing with a group of people behind a shovel somewhere, about to throw dirt on a new project, but now it is the burial of Stony Brook Southampton that they will be presiding over. Stony Brook, which provides an education to a huge number of foreign students at a tuition rate that is less than half that of most universities, is saving money by dumping 500 local students. How much of a subsidy is the NYS taxpayer providing to overseas students who enroll at SUNY? Students who go back to their home country to work in an economy that competes with us, and takes away our jobs. Tens of million of our dollars have gone into buying and growing this institution, and we have encouraged students to enroll here based on the exciting programs it offers. But now the students, taxpayers, and the East End community are left with nothing, a giant gaping hole in the ground, a $75 million spittoon. A recent article in Newsday indicated that about $320 million in donations has been raised by Stony Brook -the most successful money raising campaign in the history of the SUNY system -yet they can't find a few million to keep Southampton campus going until it grows enough to pay its own way. Clearly this was an easy bureaucratic solution to a financial problem but there are real people out here who will be hurt by this. Several months ago, the new president of Stony Brook, Samuel Stanley, (hired to bring a stronger research orientation to the campus), said he anticipated he'd be hiring 400 new faculty. Is that going to be accomplished at the expense of East End students. SUNY is a taxpayer supported system and has an obligation to serve the learning needs of its people, not to throw them out on the street to serve the interests of corporate research or to make room for students from overseas. Haven't we seen enough of our tax dollars taken from us and used to serve corporate and global interests. Come on Tim, Ken, and Fred, do what you have to, keep Stony Brook Southampton open. Do it for the little folks! Ralph J. Herbert 4 Sunset Beach Rd. Sag Harbor, NY 11963