SUNY Can Be Economic Engine for NY State

SUFFERN, NY-State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher believes that the SUNY system’s 64 campuses can serve as an engine for economic growth in New York State. Zimpher, the keynote speaker at a “Forum on the Economic Revitalization and Quality of Life in New York State and Rockland County” held Monday at the SUNY Rockland Community College campus in Suffern, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo made it clear in his Jan. 5 State of the State that he would be looking to SUNY to help turn the state’s economy around.

In fact, a day later Lt. Governor Robert Duffy, who has been charged with overseeing the creation of regional economic development councils across the state, reiterated the governor’s intent to utilize SUNY’s varied programs and services. SUNY officials are expected to serve on these yet-to-be formed regional councils.

In a meeting with SUNY officials in Albany on Jan. 6 said, Duffy said, “Gov. Cuomo has a clear and visionary agenda to put New York State back on the path of economic revitalization, and we look forward to our partnership with SUNY as we strive for that goal. The Cuomo administration envisions SUNY as a critical component to rebuilding the state’s economy and we look forward to working with Chancellor Zimpher and SUNY’s leadership to help generate much needed jobs across New York.”

At the forum in Rockland County, Zimpher told the gathering of several hundred business, political and educational leaders, “I couldn’t be happier that we have been thrown the gauntlet by Gov. Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Duffy to play a leadership role with you in regional economic development.” She said that SUNY is currently in the process of implementing its Strategic Plan entitled “The Power of SUNY” that was rolled out in April 2010 and is the vision for the university system in the future. She related that the plan focuses on key areas where it can help foster job creation and economic growth.

“SUNY will be a key engine for the revitalization of New York State’s economy and will enhance the quality of life for the state’s citizens,” she said. The strategic plan’s six “ideas” have SUNY focused on providing assistance to the entrepreneurial community as well as to the educational, health care and energy sectors. The plan also looks to enhance its work in the communities they serve and provide students with courses and offerings that offer them a global perspective.

SUNY has more than 65,000 enrolled students and approximately 88,000 faculty and staff statewide. In the Mid-Hudson region, SUNY has eight campuses, a student population of 55,509 and a workforce of 7,135. On Jan. 19, Zimpher will release job creation targets and the methodology SUNY plans to use for the successful implementation of its strategic plan.

Zimpher in her address also noted that public and private university officials have discussed for the past 15 months the primary areas for economic growth for New York State. She said those discussions yielded four major areas of job growth: energy, life sciences, information technology and high performance computing, and nanotechnology and materials. “We are very close to getting focused around that which we have really superior capacity to build,” she said.

She said that the state has become a hub for nanotechnology, particularly in Albany and the surrounding Capitol District, although the industry has spread to other areas and SUNY institutions in Rochester and Utica-Rome. “This is a really important area where New York can and already does trump other locales across the country,” Zimpher said. “In fact, some say we are in the international hub for nano-scale science and technology. That is why GlobalFoundries selected the Saratoga area to build its marvelous chip factory.”

Zimpher also noted that SUNY will look to work with the state’s medical schools to help foster growth in the life sciences sector. This initiative should dovetail nicely with the marketing efforts being waged by Westchester County’s Office of Economic Development and the regional economic development organization Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. that are both focused on branding the region as a prime location for biotech firms.