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HIGHER ED FUNDING IN NYC:
THE GRIM PICTURE
In today's quickly advancing and highly competitive global
economy and information age, a college degree is essential.
A recently published College Board report cited that the annual
income for a person with a college degree
is more than 80 percent higher (on average) than for students
with a high school diploma. (The College Board Trends in College
Pricing, 2000)
NYS's community colleges are the fifth most expensive in the
Nation, while Texas and California are the two least expensive
school systems and Florida ranks 34th. (United States Department
of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 2000)
New Yorkers who send dependents to college spend more than
1/3 of their family income on higher education-even after financial
aid is deducted. (National Center for Public Policy and Higher
Education, Measuring Up 2000: The State-by-State Report Card for
Higher Education)
Over the past decade, city funding for CUNY fell by $72.1 million,
or 37%. During that same period, student-paid tuition rose by
$215.3 million, or 71%. (University Budget Office, City University
of New York)
New York State is mandated to cover 1/3 of the funding for
community colleges. Since 1992, it has dropped its share below
this level. At the same time, tuition and fees at New York's
community colleges now average nearly $2,600, far exceeding the
national average of $1,500. (NYS's Community Colleges report by
New York State Comptroller, March 1999)
Full-time faculty represent only 44%, while part-time faculty
or adjuncts represent 56% of instruction at CUNY's community colleges.
(City University of New York, 2001-02 Budget Request)
Ten years after graduation, 80 percent of CUNY alumni continue
to reside and work in New York. (A Report on the Impact of CUNY,
1999)
Approximately 460,000 CUNY graduates from 1970 through 1997
live and pay taxes in New York, along with hundreds of thousands
of pre-1970 graduates, 200,000 current students, and 155,000 adult
and continuing education students. (A Report on the Impact of
CUNY, 1999)
Each year, New York City and State derive $708 million more
in taxes from CUNY's 1970-1997 graduates than if these taxpayers
had not earned a college degree. These same individuals spend
$4.6 billion more in New York each year than they would have spent
had they not earned a college degree. (A Report on the Impact
of CUNY, 1999)
CUNY's impact leads to the creation of 323,000 New York jobs.
Including 26,210 CUNY employees who live in New York, 326,000
citizens are living and working in New York as a result of the
University's presence. (A Report on the Impact of CUNY, 1999)
For more information contact: Miriam
Kramer.
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