October has gone by quickly and here in Central New York, we’ve had our first snow. Many of us in New York State public institutions have felt the chill of winter for several months as we have been dealing with consequences of the state’s budget shortfalls. The financial crisis on Wall Street impacts the entire state as tax revenues have declined significantly. The financial outlook, just like the weather, is uncertain.

I’ve been working with the budget administrators in Information Resources to decide how we can best absorb the cuts, which amount to 20 percent this year.  SUNY Cortland does not stand alone in this  unfortunate situation. An article in today’s Chronicle of Higher Education reports that “45 percent of public universities reported cuts in their central technology budgets for the current academic year” and “about 22 percent of four-year private colleges reported such cuts.”

SUNY Cortland is responding in a manner similar to many other institutions facing serious budget threats: we have identified our priorities and are continuing to offer — and in some cases expand — our technology services. We are looking at ways to fully utilize our new portal, myRedDragon, by improving the mechanisms we use to communicate with our students. Our instructional technology resources are growing, and more students and faculty than ever are using our services. 

Unfortunately, we are not able to continue our aggressive program of building new technology spaces; however, there are several new buildings being planned that will include state-of-the-art technology facilities. Ironically, in New York State, while public colleges and universities have seen their operating budgets cut this year, the capital budgets have been held harmless. This will certainly present a challenge if the resources to support the new facilities are not forthcoming, but for now, the building continues.

The current budget strain is an unpleasant reality, but we’ve seen such difficulties in the past. Our ongoing planning efforts and our strategic planning process give us a framework to move forward — and maintain the integrity of our mission and services.