Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request

2 Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request

CUNY is a steadfast pillar of New York City’s economic, social and cultural landscape. This University is the clearest example of what makes New York resilient and strong. COVID has affected so many of us within the CUNY family--- no one among the ranks of this University’s faculty, staff, students and alumnae was spared in some way, and the loss of these individuals to their colleagues, their families and their communities is immeasurable. This is the reason that the 2022 budget request was crafted with the single purpose of keeping CUNY’s strength and resiliency at the forefront, as the University partners with the state and city to continue to combat the effects of the pandemic, rebuild our economy, prepare our students and invest in our facilities for the future challenges ahead. While many public universities lose their graduates to other states, CUNY students stay and work in New York after they complete their degrees. CUNY is critical for educating and training our state’s and city’s workers, which is why our workforce programs have been focused on developing connections with private-industry partners. These partnerships create career pathways for our students, including opportunities in health care, finance and technology. One of the most effective ways to resist and overcome structural racism is to provide not only a quality education but to create access to economic opportunities that can raise up lower-income students from Black, LatinX and Asian communities. In addition, providing revenue support to the University’s community colleges will mean bolstering training and credentialing programs for unemployed workers who will be looking to access various avenues to re-train for new jobs. In facing and fighting a virus that has disproportionately affected black and brown neighborhoods, CUNY is in the pivotal space of educating the next generation of post-COVID medical workers through its portfolio of nursing programs and the CUNY School of Medicine. The doctors and nurses who graduate from CUNY often come from the very same communities as their patients and will arrive equipped with the cultural competency to advocate on behalf of their patients and offer regimens of care that can help address healthcare inequities. In order to provide the highest-level education for our students, CUNY continues to champion and advocate for investment in measures which alleviate economic hardships for our students such as short-term student financial assistance and predictable tuition costs. The University is also disheartened at the number of students who have had to face an increased amount of COVID-related challenges, with more than a quarter having experienced loss of jobs that helped pay for their education, and more than half experiencing financial difficulties. The pandemic has not only exacted a physical toll, but a mental one as well for our students, which is why the University is looking to expand and strengthen all of the colleges’ mental health resources to address depression, anxiety and other hardships.


Prioritizing Student Mental Health

As the pandemic has shown across the country and in our state and city, the safety net for lower-income families and communities of color is especially vulnerable when it comes to providing support and resources for mental health issues. At CUNY, our students have repeatedly demonstrated their resiliency, as they navigate housing and food insecurity, job losses for themselves or family members, illness, recovery and loss of loved ones due to COVID-19. This is on top of the work and challenges they face for themselves as students-- transitioning to an on-line classroom environment, securing technology resources so they are able to attend classes remotely and finding space and time to do their academic work amidst these often scary, trying and tumultuous times. It is therefore one of the University’s top priorities to provide the necessary

Senior Colleges

Community Colleges

FY2021 AppropriationState Operating Support $499.73 $229.96City Operating Support $53.30 $176.81Fringe Benefits $868.15 $283.02Opportunity Programs $28.08 $1.35Tuition and Financial Aid $1,219.17 $386.40Programs Supported by Fee Income/Tuition $187.00Total $2,855.44 $1,077.54

FY2022 RequestPrioritizing Student Mental Health $4.00 $2.00Nursing Pipeline Program $5.60 $9.40Workforce Development $5.00 $3.00Improving Equity and Acess - Accelerating CUNY's Online Presence $5.00 $3.00Enhancing Diversity and Advancing Racial Justice $4.00 $2.00Meeting the Need Resources Centers $0.65 $0.35CUNY Corps $1.30 $0.70Adult College Navigators $0.65 $0.35CUNY School of Medicine – Serving Urban Communities $3.50 $3.50Community College Revenue Relief $23.80Total $29.70 $48.10

FY2022 Requested Budget $2,885.14 $1,125.64

($ millions)

FY2022 University Operating Budget RequestFY2022 University Operating Budget Request


and needed access to mental health resources so our students always have someone to talk to when feeling overwhelmed or emotionally drained as they work through these very complex challenges brought on by the pandemic. The University understands that a large percentage of our students who have requested counseling have a history of trauma, including facing previous crises, personal trauma or abuse. The stay-at-home measures that are mandatory for public health and safety during the pandemic can also exacerbate existing tensions within families and households, especially those with a history of partner violence. Furthermore, for many of our students who come from communities and neighborhoods of color, there is the added strain of having to deal with systemic racism, or the challenges of being an immigrant, and knowing that the level of access to resources does differ because of socioeconomic differences. The pandemic has further isolated already vulnerable students by removing many of the regular social contacts they may have relied on for support. The difficulty of not being able to see and interact with classmates, professors, mentors, friends, family, and co-workers in-person has affected all of us and especially students whose prior experiences with trauma may impact their already fragile emotional well-being. CUNY has already begun to make investments to leverage technology and increase the University’s capacity to provide a multitude of mental health services and resources to our students and integrating multiple modalities such as:

• Increased face-to-face psychotherapy via distance technology with private, confidential services offered by trained telemental health clinicians;

• Increased group psychotherapy via distance technology for expanded reach and changing needs of the student population during the COVID-19 pandemic;

• Expanded clinical health services via distance technology, including health and wellness assessments, referral and connection to treatment, and monitoring of symptomatic students.

As public health and safety social distancing protocols are still in place at many of our buildings and facilities, online therapy options is the preferred method of providing mental health services. There is work in progress to certify CUNY’s existing clinical staff members in order to provide telemental heath. It is also imperative to increase the training and professional development of the University’s mental health faculty and staff so there is increased awareness of anxiety, depression and suicide, and the warning signs of psychological distress. These trainings will provide staff with the skills needed to lead conversations with students to discuss concerns, build resilience, and increase connectedness, assess the need for referral, motivate the student to seek help, and when needed, communicate the specific process for student referral and counseling services. During the Fall of 2020, the University’s Mental Health Counseling Services provided 100% of counseling services via teletherapy to new and existing students. The Office of Mental Health and Wellness proposes acquiring multiple technological platforms to expand mental health service


provision, including screening and crisis management. By complementing existing mental health counseling via teletherapy, additional technology tools will enable more students to access mental health information, services, and resources. An estimated 25% of CUNY students currently use counseling center services and the technological resources proposed will increase the reach of mental health services. Continued funding for the following technology resources are needed:

• An online platform that will allow all international and out of state CUNY students to access clinical mental health services during the distance learning period.

• A crisis communication tool that where trained mental health counselors are available to immediately respond to crises via text messages and make connections to treatment and services.

• Increase ability to address addiction issues by expanding the use of a tool specifically designed for substance abuse screening and treatment

• Promoting the use of 10 Minute Mind, a daily, mindfulness product with over 25,000 CUNY users providing daily mindfulness exercises for stress and anxiety management.

The University was able to seed some of this work with federal CARES Act funds and requests that the State and City continue it with permanent funding. The proposed investments will help develop and strengthen a culture of mental health well-being and maintenance of care throughout CUNY, enabling our students to thrive and build long-term coping skills. This not only bolsters academic success for our most vulnerable students but provides them with tools and avenues to address ongoing issues they face. The University is also looking to partner with SUNY on programs such as Reach Out SUNY to increase the outreach and coverage of care for all of our students who may need emotional support from a specially trained corps of volunteers as we continue to cope with COVID-19. Nursing Pipeline Program

The nurses on the frontlines have been nothing short of heroic in the fight against the deadly COVID-19 virus. One of the stark realizations has been the level of nursing care the pandemic has required across all settings and facilities. Not only have nurses been the advocates for their patients in intensive care units and patient floors of hospitals, but in the day-to-day care of residents in long-term health care facilities and nursing homes. This means New York has to ensure a strong and robust supply of nurses to hospitals, clinics, medical offices and facilities. To address anticipated shortages in the nursing field, CUNY is establishing a Nursing Pipeline Program. This program will direct all high school students interested in nursing and healthcare into community college level nursing programs, where they will receive the training and credits needed to obtain their associate’s degree. This program will work with students to streamline their transfers to a senior college in order to finish with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. CUNY has 14 nursing schools that offer a variety of certificates and associates, bachelors, masters, and doctorate degree programs. Every year, on average, the University graduates 1,800 students from CUNY nursing programs, many of whom go off to work in New York City hospitals,


nursing homes, and other local settings. As we have already seen with many of CUNY’s professional programs, the University’s graduates go on to work and contribute to the economies of the state and city. Furthermore, approximately 70% of CUNY’s nursing degree students are people of color, and in a city with a diversity of residents, having culturally competent staff who can care and advocate on behalf of patients is critical. CUNY also proposes to implement a Comprehensive Clinical Placement Support System to use across CUNY (starting with nursing programs) and clinical affiliation sites. Similar systems have been used by Northwell and in regional/state models in Texas, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts and California, to improve matches between students and clinical sites. State/regional models also include a faculty resource center to enlist new clinical and full-time faculty from clinical partners. Beyond this improved coordination, we also need to expand student insurance. CUNY already provides professional liability insurance for health students in clinical placements, but we also should expand liability coverage for student winter/summer externships and other career readiness experiences that directly contribute to professional preparation. Additional investments in infrastructure and program support is essential for these existing nursing programs, and includes expanding online learning opportunities such as simulations, alternative training models, and Inter-professional education (IPE), a learning method where students can collaborate across health fields. The CUNY School of Professional Studies, through its portfolio of on-line degrees and certificates, is well positioned to work with students who are looking for flexibility, as well as affordability, in order to continue their nursing training and advance in their fields. Additional instructional faculty, staff, updated classroom facilities, equipment and supplies will provide the necessary training CUNY’s students will need as they enter their journey into nursing. These investments will also expand CUNY’s nursing program bandwidth to accommodate the licensed nurses and nursing candidates that will receive priority admission to all SUNY and CUNY programs across the State beginning in the fall of 2021 to fulfill baccalaureate credentials and continue practicing. Workforce Development

One of the most crucial ways that CUNY has recommitted to its mission in recent years has been to respond to the evolving needs of our students after graduation. A central strategy of this focus has been the vigorous pursuit of partnerships with employers who share our vision of creating professional opportunities for students from underserved communities. It is an approach with payoffs for both our students and the local economy. Now, of course, there is a new urgency to this priority: the pandemic confronts New York with economic challenges we couldn’t have imagined a year ago, and CUNY is determined to support its students when they need it most and take a leading role in the City and State’s economic recovery.


Prior to the coronavirus, we had put together a team in our workforce programs office to help CUNY and our colleges forge connections with private-industry partners in the City’s largest and most thriving economic sectors with the goal of creating career pathways for our students. The result has been remarkable: tens of thousands of professional opportunities in the health care, finance, technology, real estate, architecture and cultural sectors. Now we are doubling down on these efforts, making good on our mission to propel students up the socioeconomic ladder at a time when the pandemic has eliminated thousands of internship and job opportunities. One of our newest and most exciting partnerships is with the New York Jobs CEO Council, a coalition led by 27 chief executives of some of the largest employers in New York including JPMorgan Chase, Amazon and Microsoft. It is a collaboration that will create job opportunities for 25,000 CUNY students, with a focus on low-income and Black, Latinx and Asian communities. The Jobs CEO Council has a direct impact on the economy and our partnership will create a robust pipeline of skilled CUNY workers into the growing workforce. In the fall we launched our Federal Work-Study Experimental Site, a program that will allow both companies and non-profit organizations to hire some 9,000 CUNY students for paid internships. This unique opportunity allows students to work off campus with private companies at a time when the pandemic has halted many on-campus activities, including work-study employment that so many students depend on. With many businesses struggling and in need of financial support to hire and retain staff, this initiative allows employers to hire CUNY workers because costs are shared with the federal government. CUNY also has a 90-day Upskilling Challenge, which is providing free virtual skills training and includes partnerships with Google and IBM to connect students to employers that are hiring during COVID-19. Meanwhile, the continuing pandemic keeps us focused on the need to engage our students with the career opportunities available to them in the healthcare field — and to provide them with the training and experience that will give them the skills and credentials they’ll need to walk into well-paying jobs. Two recent economic impact studies noted that CUNY and its colleges contribute billions of dollars a year into the regional economy and our growing list of private sector partnerships is no small part of that. CUNY’s first priority is always to our students—to graduate them into good jobs and careers and to put them on paths to fulfilling lives. This year more than any other we expect New York to be the beneficiary of their success. Looking ahead to life after COVID, CUNY requests State and City investments to help bolster and expand these efforts as well as new strategies to facilitate career placement.

1. CUNY upskilling initiative: Building from our successful CUNY Upskilling Challenge that enrolled nearly 10,000 New Yorkers in the midst of COVID in 2020, we will increase access to skills to New Yorkers with an emphasis on the communities that were hardest


hit by the pandemic. NYC is a talent magnet, but without proper investment in local New Yorkers, the City will continue to experience a widening equity gap. CUNY proposes to create an Excelsior-style scholarship for adults who wish to pursue part-time degree completion and/or credential attainment programs in NYC. This initiative will work with employers to provide last mile funding where tuition reimbursement programs are not applicable. We have piloted “finish line” and “completion grants” at CUNY and have seen significant financial return on investment for students who return and continue to pay tuition after the scholarship award. We have raised private and public funds to seed the launch of this work through BNY Mellon and the USDOE Reimagining Workforce Program. CUNY proposes the creation of a Work Education Fund to serve 800 students in FY 2022 growing to 2,750 in FY 2025.

2. CUNY Degree Plus Initiative: In today’s labor market a degree is necessary but often not

sufficient to meet the needs of employers. Data analytics, AI, telemedicine, cybersecurity are skills and competencies that are best taught nimbly and responsively in training and credentialing that is in addition to degree programs- the “Degree Plus” model. To increase access to skill and competency based training, we will create a curriculum development “innovation lab” that is tasked with curriculum and program development in healthcare, IT, and sustainability/energy management areas. The Degree Plus Initiative would create certificates and programs in partnership with employers who have changing training needs based on technological advancements. We will build upon the initial work with the New York Jobs CEO Council that launched four microcredentials in January 2020 for 600 students, based on the needs of 27 large NYC employers who have pledged to hire over 25,000 CUNY students over the next decade. CUNY will create a Workforce Innovation Lab to launch career-focused degree and certificate programs, investing in four new programs in FY 2022 and increasing the number of programs launched each year reaching twelve new programs in FY 2025.

Improving Equity and Access by Accelerating CUNY’s Online Presence

The enormous potential of online instruction was made abundantly clear in the fight against COVID-19. Over the course of a few weeks, CUNY successfully prioritized the urgent need to protect the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff by converting its 1,400 high-quality academic programs from face-to-face to fully online. The immediate result: Despite the severe challenges facing students, some 56,000 seniors persevered through the hardships of COVID-19 to complete their studies. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of students began or continued their academic pursuits at CUNY, aided by a substantial University-wide effort to blunt the inequitable effects of the digital divide that were sharpened by the pandemic through the purchase and distribution of tens of thousands of laptops, tablets and Wi-Fi hotspots to students, and seminars designed to help students effectively learn online. At the same time, CUNY redoubled its efforts at improving quality. In partnership with the School of Professional Studies (SPS), CUNY sponsored the development and provision of award-winning professional development programs to thousands of faculty and staff through the Online Teaching


Essentials workshop. Even more participated in sessions aimed at best practices and innovative pedagogy through the CUNY Innovative Teaching Academy. At the same time, SPS was named eighth in the nation for best online bachelor’s programs by U.S. News and World Reports. CUNY stands ready to build on these successes and embark on the next phase in its evolution: the development and launch of the CUNY Online Accelerator in partnership with SPS. The Online Accelerator will serve the University as a consulting and technical services hub that will provide colleges with online development resources in five key areas of student readiness, faculty readiness, course site development, online program development, and online program management. It will develop the capacity of all 25 campuses to create, scale, and sustain fully online degree programs to all of the campuses in CUNY planning to offer them. Initially, the Online Accelerator will work in collaboration with campuses and regional industries to formally launch 10 cutting edge, high-demand, fully online programs by 2023, with the first 5 programs launching as a prototype throughout the duration of the next 2 years. These programs will be stackable by design, experiential in nature, and focused on providing the tools people need to compete in the future AI economy. The creation of these programs will welcome more than 10,500 students their inaugural year, which would instantly increase by 50 percent number of students taking fully online degrees, which currently stands at nearly 7,000. By 2030, we expect this number to exceed 30,000. The number of students taking an online course each year is anticipated to double from 28,000 to 56,000 by 2025. Each program will be designed with the needs of contemporary students in mind, such as working learners, caregivers, and veterans. In fact, given that CUNY’s online programs are among the best for veterans, we expect that the number of veteran students enrolled in CUNY to triple from 2,500 to 7,500 over the next five years by strategically partnering with agencies such as the Department of Veteran’s Services. As a result of the CUNY Online Accelerator, we will fuel the City and State’s pandemic recovery and reinvention by leveraging our combination of academic quality and scale, proven commitment to equity and social justice, and unrivaled international reputation for upward mobility. Enhancing Diversity and Advancing Racial Justice

To ensure our students have access to diverse, culturally aware, and highly effective full-time faculty in the next four years, we aspire to increase the percentage of students taught by full-time faculty. To this end, we propose hiring 80 additional full-time faculty, starting in Spring 2022. CUNY will demonstrate its commitment to inclusion and to scholarship of the vast multiplicity of cultures represented by CUNY students and New York City as a whole through implementation of a recently awarded $3 million grant from the Mellon Foundation that aims to expand academic offerings in Black, race, and ethnic studies across the University, support future hiring in these disciplines, and create opportunities for increased faculty research. In addition, we propose establishing an endowment to help CUNY recruit and retain — via salaries above base — a diverse faculty in high-demand areas including climate change, public health, cyber-security, and artificial intelligence.


Meeting the Needs Resource Centers

Recent research conducted by CUNY has revealed that the effects of the pandemic on students was significant and wide-ranging. According to this research, the most pressing challenges for CUNY students included finding a quiet place to work or study and feeling motivated to remain engaged in their studies. The research also revealed that large numbers of students believe that their ability to do school work has declined. Seventy percent of students cited the change in their ability to perform was due to their current emotional or mental state. Meanwhile students reported steep declines in their usage of relief services following the transition to distance learning, including health services, counseling, and food pantries. Forty percent of student respondents reported that they are worried about having enough food; of those indicating this concern, 87% reported their concern over food insecurity increased since the onset of the pandemic. Given the severe impact COVID-19 has been proven to have on CUNY’s student population, throughout 2020, the University scaled its existing food insecurity relief programs in order to meet the urgent and growing needs of students. Among the most significant of these efforts is University-wide access to food pantries as well a growth in eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of up to nearly 75,000 community college students. Finally, in October 2020, CUNY instituted a policy allowing all CUNY students to use any campus food pantry within the system and helping them find additional alternatives throughout the City. Building on this new policy, CUNY will support the development of a system-wide strategy to address food insecurity, housing instability, and for providing our students with hands-on and holistic services to support their wellness and success. The community colleges along with John Jay have been maintaining resource centers originally organized under the contract with Single Stop, USA. The other colleges have seen the benefits of the model and seek to replicate these centers. Expand CUNY Corps programs

The University proposes to expand successful CUNY work-based learning opportunities for students in community colleges and/or in their first and second years to create valuable career exploration and work experiences. CUNY Service Corps, Women in Tech NY “winterships”, CUNY Summer Corps, and Service Corps Puerto Rico are successful experiences that help students gain early exposure to career related opportunities. Programs for freshmen and sophomores have exhibited 50% increases in summer internship placement after initial short-term work-based learning opportunities. In 2020, we implemented the CUNY Census Corps with 250 students who helped to reach 2 million New Yorkers in census outreach efforts.


Support for Adult Learners via College Navigators

During the COVID-19 era, working adults without a postsecondary credential, especially those in particular industries such as the retail and service sectors, may now find themselves with limited employment opportunities and needing to revisit, or visit for the first time, the prospects of earning a college degree or industry-recognized certificate. CUNY colleges offer a broad array of such opportunities, but adult learners who have been away from higher education (or are first-time students) often have special needs that require more intensive guidance early on to ensure they embark on a clear path towards attaining their career goals. Such needs can be best addressed through the use of college navigators — trained college advisors who are able to provide the logistical, financial, and academic guidance as students are welcomed to a CUNY college. Adult learner navigators would be embedded in campus admissions and advisement offices as well as in career counseling units that support continuing education initiatives and serve as the first point of contact for adult students. Navigators would be trained to ensure they had a multi-faceted understanding of available programs and resources in both the credit-granting and continuing education units of their college and knowledge of key labor market sectors. Navigators would be well-versed in how to assist students in exploring sector-based career and college options utilizing tools from the NYSED/CUNY CareerKits as well as data dashboards such as the CUNY Wage Data tool. CUNY School of Medicine: Serving Urban Communities

CUNY’s contributions and impact to the City and State extend through to our cutting-edge research institutes, graduate programs, and professional schools. The expertise of our faculty and high quality of our graduate and professional-school students are part of the lifeblood of the City, and that has never been truer than during this unfathomably hard year. We have witnessed the incredible courage and tremendous heartache that comes in treating and caring for patients during this pandemic. Oftentimes the medical staff is the end-of-life connection between severely ill patients and their families. CUNY’s professional schools are deeply committed to the service of the city and its communities. Students in the CUNY School of Medicine (CSOM)—one of the nation’s most diverse medical schools—joined the coronavirus response at the onset of the crisis, providing patient support at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, video conferencing with families of patients in the ICU, and staffing the COVID-19 test center at Staten Island University Hospital. While medical schools across the U.S. struggle to enroll students of color, more than half of the CUNY School of Medicine’s students are Black or Hispanic. We are very proud of the school’s mission of improving primary health care in urban and underserved communities. In the spring of 2020, amidst the early days of the pandemic onset, the CUNY School of Medicine moved up the date for graduating its fourth year medical students by a month, in response to the growing need for medical professionals to respond to coronavirus outbreak. The School’s 44 students were the first class to graduate since doors opened in 2016. These students either started their residency programs early or volunteered at New York City area hospitals to support


their responses to the crisis. CUNY responded to the Governor’s request to support the state’s front-line health care work force and alleviate the burden on current hospital staff by assisting patients, families and our local communities at this extraordinary time. With COVID, the disease has disproportionately affected Black and Hispanic communities, with more people falling ill and dying. Often living in multi-generational or more crowded living arrangements and working in essential services, the exposure to the virus was simply greater. This inequity in health disparities carries through to patient care and treatment. It is often heartening to be treated by a doctor that is well versed in the healthcare needs of patients of color, whether through personal experiences or from working in underserved communities. CSOM is known for recruiting underrepresented minorities for careers as physicians practicing in underserved areas. Together with historically black colleges and universities, the CSOM curriculum emphasizes a compassionate, holistic approach to care, as well as a commitment to social justice and health equity. It admits students directly from high school into an accelerated undergraduate biomedical program and seamlessly transitions them into CUNY’s rigorous preclinical and clinical curriculum. Seventy-eight percent of the students who graduate will join the medical staff at New York City-area hospitals. CUNY is requesting State and City funding to support the education and training of the doctors this City will continue to need. Doctors trained to identify and address health inequities are able to provide a level of care and advocacy for their patients that is often missing in urban healthcare settings. Continued investment and encouragement of students of color who wish to pursue careers in medicine means the medical professionals who serve our communities reflect the diverse populations of this city. Community College Support

Nation-wide, community colleges enroll nearly half of all college students and provide educational opportunities that would otherwise not be accessible for many students. Community colleges play a critical role in addressing some of our country’s greatest challenges: stagnant family incomes, disparities in income and wealth, and political polarization. They provide a low cost gateway to higher education, workforce development, local and regional economic development, and vocational training. The COVID pandemic has made community college more important than ever. Though the economy has started to reopen, many jobs will not be returning, and many of those who have permanently lost their jobs are being forced to consider alternative options. Experts in higher education suggest community colleges have a significant role to play in helping the nation recover from this economic crisis:

• Through training programs for the caregiving workforce that has been essential to treating the sick and keeping communities healthy and safe

• Offering career-oriented education and short-term training and credentialing to get people back to work quickly


• Providing an affordable, flexible opportunity for first-time students seeking a degree Unfortunately, CUNY’s community colleges have been significantly impacted financially by the pandemic. Enrollment has dropped sharply as students facing pandemic-related economic hardships are unable to stay enrolled and to pay tuition and fees. A lack of federal support for the City and State has also negatively impacted community college operating budgets. CUNY is requesting that the State put a temporary pause on the community college funding formula and freeze funding at the FY2021 enacted budget levels. The University is requesting that the City provide revenue support to offset the loss in tuition from enrollment declines resulting from the pandemic. Predictable Tuition Policy

CUNY was originally founded on the notion of higher education access for all. Today we are a beacon of hope for the socially and economically disadvantaged. It is inherent in our mission to remain accessible for those who cannot afford the exorbitant costs of private higher education. We need to offer our students a reliable and logical method to plan for the costs of their education, and avoid a return to the “tuition roulette”— many years of no increase in tuition costs that are then offset by dramatic spikes, which places students at a disadvantage depending on the year they enroll. CUNY has demonstrated good stewardship of the predictable tuition program. Therefore, we request extending the authority of the Board of Trustees to set reasonable predictable inflation-based adjustments to address the ongoing costs of achieving educational goals, and ensuring the success of our students. We also request the ability to implement a strategic tuition policy that takes into account costs and outcomes, thereby setting different rates across institutions and programs. The University’s commitment to students is that courses needed to ensure graduation within four years at the senior colleges and two years at the community colleges will be available.


FY2022 Capital Budget Request

Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan COVID Response Capital Priority Requests Prioritizing Cloud Based Solutions

In a year when CUNY had to pivot to full on-line learning temporarily, IT priorities came to the forefront. CUNY has to address its fast moving IT needs; sitting still means falling behind, and for an educational institution that is not an option. Consequently, we are prioritizing a request to for funds to act upon consultant recommendations as that we transition more of our IT operations to the Web. CUNY has been investing in a consolidated IT infrastructure for the last decade. While it was a tremendous upgrade, IT solutions are changing at a rapid pace and new technologies are beginning to replace what CUNY uses. CUNY’s current strategic IT roadmap transitions the University to cloud based systems and solutions where available and practical. Some of these changes are currently being worked on and others are not yet available. The benefits of this approach include: the ability to adapt to fast changing technology, bring solutions to our students and other end users faster, and offer features and functions that one expects in a highly regarded higher education institution. In addition, moving to modern cloud solutions will provide CUNY with greater control over its data currently housed in hosted systems not under CUNY’s management, replace paper and manual business processes to digital workflows, and centralize data currently located in systems managed by CUNY colleges and outside service providers, including government agencies and retirement programs. The first phase of this multi-phase effort will focus on the needs of our human resources operations and professionals. Future phases will include finance and student management functions and operations. Our plans are also to update and move end-of-life phone and emails systems located throughout the University to cloud based solutions. We will leverage an enterprise strategy and approach and provide improved unified communications and collaboration systems and high-demand services. These modern integrated cloud solutions will provide the foundation and opportunity for savings through consolidated procurements and technology support models. First Year Request: $75 million


University Wide Upgrade of Science Labs

The intent of this project is to implement renovation of science spaces systematically and aggressively throughout CUNY to support current pedagogy and research activities while improving student success and retention. While the teaching and practice of science has changed significantly over the past 30+ years, many of CUNY’s laboratory facilities have not kept pace. Laboratory systems, finishes, and furnishings are well past their useful lives and the layouts of existing laboratories do not support current practices. While new construction and renovation projects have provided significant yet isolated improvements, much of CUNY’s existing laboratory inventory has not been significantly updated since its original construction. A CUNY-wide effort is needed to prioritize needs and maximize the effectiveness of available funding. Significant funding is requested to boost the start of this aggressive program. The first few years of the project will identify and design groups of labs to be addressed. First Year Request: $50 million COVID Capital Renewal within Request

In response to COVID 19 CUNY is updating designs for capital renewal projects where needed, to include new criteria to improve the indoor air quality for our buildings. Some of the following are possible changes: installing more efficient air filters (Merv 16 or at the minimum Merv 13 filters) on air handling systems in the buildings; installing UVC lighting system on the air handling units to enhance indoor air quality; installing space UVC lighting system where required; considering increased ventilation at certain locations; and installing more advanced optimized BMS system to have better control on the air dampers to more effectively introduce outside to the indoor spaces. HVAC and air quality related projects are in planning at CUNY. Here are a few examples of projects in the detailed request capital request: City College - Steinman Hall HVAC upgrades; Graduate Center - UVC Sanitizing Lighting for Rooms and HVAC; Hunter College - North Building HVAC Ph. I; Lehman College - Carman Hall Univent and Fan Coil Replacement; Medgar Evers College Carroll Street Building Infrastructure Upgrades Phase 1 and 2;


Summary of CUNY’s Five Year Capital Request to the State of New York and the City of New York

Located in all five boroughs of New York City, the facilities at CUNY’s campuses include the traditional and the innovative. The University has 300 buildings comprising 29 million square feet of classrooms, instructional and research labs, computer centers, theaters, athletic and recreational facilities, academic and administrative offices, and other spaces supporting CUNY’s students and mission. In recognition of the economic impact to the State and City of New York of the pandemic, this year CUNY is not asking for any strategic initiative funding in the first year of the five year capital request. Strategic initiatives in future years are included, in recognition of those needs as well as to prudently plan in an ever-changing financial environment. The focus of CUNY’s Five-Year Capital Plan’s is on maintaining and improving facilities essential to student success. The projects included in the capital plan preserve the University’s infrastructure, recapture underutilized spaces, improve technology and provide for campus expansion where necessary. It is only through upgrading the University’s facilities portfolio that


CUNY will be able to continue providing the city and region with graduates trained for high-demand positions in the sciences, technology, mathematics, teaching, nursing and other fields. As a result of COVID-19, CUNY conducted nearly all classes remotely for the past year. That experience influences the priorities of the capital plan outlined below. Based on the experience with the pandemic, CUNY developed higher standards for ventilation and is looking at the issue of social distancing with fresh eyes. The changes generated by COVID are not likely to leave us in the near future so it is important to incorporate that thinking into our capital planning. New designs for capital renewal projects where needed will include new criteria to improve the indoor air quality for our buildings. Some of the following are possible changes: installing more efficient air filters (Merv 16 or at the minimum Merv 13 filters) on air handling systems in the buildings; installing UVC lighting system on the air handling units to enhance indoor air quality; installing space UVC lighting system where required; considering increased ventilation at certain locations; and installing more advanced optimized BMS system to have better control on the air dampers to more effectively introduce outside to the indoor spaces. The University’s Five-Year Capital Plan for FY 2021-2022 through FY 2025-26 is $5.53 billion: $4.154 billion for the senior colleges, professional and graduate schools, and $1.37 billion for the community colleges. By program need, the Five-Year Plan breaks down to $3.557 billion for Capital Renewal and minor repair and $1.899 billion for Strategic Initiatives. The State provides 100% of the capital funding for the senior colleges; the City shares 50% of the funding responsibility for the community colleges with the State, as per New York State education law that requires equal state-city “matching” funding for community colleges. The Five-Year Capital Plan was developed by the CUNY Office of Facilities Planning, Construction and Management in consultation with CUNY colleges and schools. The University’s priorities are:

• An ongoing Capital Renewal initiative to address health, safety, security, facilities preservation and code issues and bring CUNY campuses to a state of good repair.

• Completion of active and ongoing work. Many important projects have been designed and are awaiting funding to begin construction.

• Technology projects, including infrastructure upgrades, systems engineering, and new equipment that will allow the University to develop integrated data services at the campuses and across the system. The Plan also includes a funding request to continue to enhance CUNY’s ability to effectively deliver online learning opportunities.

• Projects to meet energy conservation and performance objectives, including the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), BuildSmart 2025 and Local Law 87.

• Strategic Initiatives for new construction of space needed for academic programs. Highest priority is assigned to classroom and instructional laboratory facilities and to the replacement of temporary or leased space with permanent facilities. The University’s Plan defers requests for strategic initiative funding until FY 2022-23 in order to focus on critical renovation needs.


For City Fiscal Year 2022, the University also is requesting $88 million in discretionary (Reso-A) funding from the New York City Council and borough presidents to address smaller-scale projects. Since 2011, CUNY has received over $3.6 billion in funding to address senior college facilities renewal and strategic initiatives. As a result, CUNY has initiated and completed a considerable number of projects, benefiting virtually every CUNY senior college campus. Allocations and project completions have been slower for the community colleges because of the need to match funding before it can be used. The city must provide its 50% share of funds first and the state’s match is typically provided in the following state fiscal year budget (approximately nine months later). CUNY Facilities Needs The University’s facilities capital requests can be divided into two categories: Capital Renewal and Strategic Initiatives. Capital Renewal: Investment in Existing Facilities One of the most significant issues affecting CUNY’s capital program is the age of its facilities. The University’s facilities portfolio consists of 29 million square feet in 300 buildings across 25 campuses. The average building at CUNY is more than 50 years old; most are over 30 and some exceed 100.

CUNY’s Capital Renewal program aims to undertake the work necessary to keep buildings and infrastructure operating effectively in support of the educational mission; without this, students and faculty cannot do their best work. The Capital Infrastructure and Equipment Funding Need includes projects that:

• extend the life of CUNY facilities. • provide life/safety enhancements and meet code requirements. • improve operational efficiency, including energy conservation.


• support academic programs and enhance the University’s mission by modernizing spaces for academic, student life, and student services.

Frequently, facility conditions dictate the need for projects that combine upgrade of building or campus-wide infrastructure systems (e.g. heating, ventilation and cooling, electrical, plumbing, and building envelopes), followed by modernization of instructional and support space. Since 2007, CUNY has analyzed and reported on the state-of-good-repair of its facilities. Most recently, in 2020, CUNY undertook a self-audit of its 254 owned buildings using life-cycle methodology. The analysis identified the University’s backlog of deferred maintenance and projected anticipated future needs which together are used to shape CUNY’s Facilities Renewal request. This analysis identified a $3.8 billion backlog, with $6.8 billion needed over the next five years to fully address both the deferred maintenance backlog and ongoing renewal.

Life Cycle Renewal Need by Asset Type


Implementation of energy efficiency goals CUNY’s capital program and conservation initiatives reflect the University’s commitment to sustainable technology and energy efficiency. New CUNY buildings and major renovations will be a minimum of LEED-certified Silver or equivalent. CUNY’s capital program and associated initiatives are guided by the following energy and environmental State and City mandates: State: CLCPA, BuildSmart 2025 and Executive Order 166: The new Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requires the State to achieve a carbon-free electricity system by 2040 and reduce emissions 85% by 2050 from 1990 levels, with an interim goal of 40% by 2030. CUNY’s senior colleges also participate in BuildSmart 2025 which has a target of 11 trillion British thermal units (TBtu) of building site energy savings at State Entities by December 31, 2025. Executive Order 166 mandates that State Entities reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. City: NYC Climate Mobilization Act; including Local Laws 33, 45,84, 86, 87, 88, 92,97; and Executive Order 26: CUNY’s community colleges are reducing GHG and energy use in an effort to meet the targets set by the Climate Mobilization Act and local laws that mandates a reduction in carbon emissions of 80 percent by 2050.

Current Capital Infrastructure and Equipment Needs by System


To ensure progress and comply with the above mandates, Sustainable CUNY’s CUNY Conserves Program analyzes energy data in order to identify needed changes to meet targets. In addition, CUNY has established an Energy Efficiency Working Group to coordinate the associated operating and capital measures. CUNY is developing a five-year carbon and energy reduction plan to meet the NYC Climate Mobilization Act mandates at the Community Colleges. Measures include implementation of high-efficiency fluorescent and LED lighting technology; the upgrading, renewal and/or expansion of digital environmental control systems; retro-commissioning of CUNY buildings; and installation of real-time utility metering and building sub-metering systems. In addition to the efficiencies gained by our capital investments in new and more efficient facilities, the Sustainable CUNY Conserves program continues to implement projects and measures that provide rapid returns on investment as well as immediate energy reductions. The projects range from optimizing building automation systems to efficient lighting controls to utilization of real time energy management systems to manage peak load. Value of Investing in CUNY’s Capital program

Capital Construction is a known strong economic engine to restart economies. CUNY has been a major part of that process for New York State and City. For every $100 million in construction spending, nearly a thousand direct and indirect jobs are created for the local economy.

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