Performance, Excellence, and the Future

by Johanna Duncan-Poitier, Deputy Commissioner

As many of you are preparing for the end of the spring semester and commencement exercises, I want to begin this issue of the Bulletin with a personal note of thanks for another productive year. Through our various one-on-one conversations and discussions in several venues, you have provided the Education Department and the Board of Regents with important feedback that is helping to frame policy and future directions.

I also want to add a special "thank you" to all of you who participated in our Office of Higher Education (OHE) service-satisfaction survey. The survey responses, summarized in this edition of the Bulletin, provide important feedback on our work from the perspective of the higher education community. Many of the survey responses indicated a high level of satisfaction with the work that we do. The survey also helped us to target areas for additional improvement.

As this issue of the Bulletin goes to "press," we are all in the midst of budget negotiations.  This year, like last year, the Board of Regents, Commissioner Mills, and I have argued forcefully for the restoration of necessary higher education funding and support for programs that provide access to and excellence in higher education. We continue to advocate with the Legislature and other partners, focusing on the following key funding priorities:

• Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
• all opportunity programs
• Teachers of Tomorrow (with additional funding for mentoring)
• funding to support individuals with disabilities in higher education
• New Century Libraries
• scholarship funding
• other key initiatives, including capital investment

Higher education is an economic engine for the State, and it enhances the quality of life for students of all ages. The joint efforts of all of the higher education sectors, the Regents, and the Department are critical for ensuring that the final State budget includes the necessary investments in higher education programs and institutions. Building on this collaborative relationship, we look forward to working with each of the sectors this fall to produce a coordinated, proactive advocacy plan for higher education funding, before the next State budget cycle.

Thank you all for your commitment to maintaining and enhancing New York's high-quality higher education system. I look forward to our continued work together.