Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., President, Niagara University
Crafting the New York state budget is a difficult process, especially in times of economic challenge. As the challenge grows, so does scrutiny of the process of allocating limited dollars to a variety of competing needs. In recent weeks, the state’s independent sector of higher education has received a fair amount of attention because of the state funding it receives. The attention is welcome because it provides an opportunity for private, not-for-profit colleges and universities to outline the many benefits they provide to the state and its people.
New York state has a wonderful educational system. Its strength lies in the diversity and quality of the 269 independently governed and state-sponsored colleges and universities that are located across it. Collectively, they provide prospective students with an amazing array of choices.
Were it not for the independent sector, however, some of the choices would not exist. Included among the more than 100 institutions that make up the independent sector are nationally recognized liberal arts colleges, five colleges that exclusively educate women, the largest concentration of historically religious colleges and universities, the largest number of engineering programs and schools, the best music colleges in the nation, law schools, more medical and dental schools than anywhere else in the nation, and world-famous research centers.
An important consideration many don’t realize is that the independent sector represents a real bargain for the state. Because it enrolls two-fifths of all students attending college, the independent sector saves the state more than $1 billion annually in appropriations. The direct economic benefit is even greater. Statewide the sector’s economic impact is $41.4 billion. In Western New York, where 11 independent colleges and universities are located, the 11,000 individuals they employ contribute $1.1 billion annually to the state’s economy.
Locally, Niagara University is responsible for the existence of 1,000 jobs, counting those directly employed and those employed by service providers. It is one of the county’s most stable employers, generating an annual economic impact on the region estimated at more than $160 million. Eighty percent of the students the university educates are residents of the state, many of whom return to their communities as the leaders of tomorrow. More than 15,000 alumni of Niagara currently reside in the state, including 6,500 in Erie and Niagara counties.
Niagara is a good example of the importance of the independent sector to the communities where its institutions are located. Aside from the obvious educational and economic contributions, there are also cultural and social benefits. Through its athletics and theater programs and the Castellani Art Museum, NU attracts thousands of visitors to campus each year for sporting events, entertainment and cultural programs. Faculty and staff members assist the community in a variety of ways, offering their expertise to numerous organizations and institutions. Students contribute more than 60,000 hours of service as tutors in schools and as volunteers in numerous social and service agencies. Our various academic and community-oriented centers, research projects and grant programs provide invaluable service to business, the sick, and the marginalized. NU’s outreach office on Main Street is a visible sign of the university’s involvement in community renewal programs.
While there are many good reasons for the state to support the independent sector, there are still those who question the need for it, always quick to point to the substantial endowments enjoyed by a few private institutions. Niagara, however, is not one of them, nor are 80 percent of the other independent colleges and universities in the state. Most need all the help they can get to continue providing institutional aid, to maintain their physical facilities and to meet unanticipated expenses.
Presently, Niagara University receives about $400,000 annually in direct state aid (Bundy aid) under a program initiated nearly 40 years ago to ensure New York’s college-bound students have access to a wide range of higher education options. NU uses this money for academic enrichment and to supplement the more than $23 million it provides its students in merit-based and purely need-based scholarships. Most of our students come from typical American homes, and require a great deal of financial support. As a result, 98 percent of NU students receive some form of financial aid.
A similar situation exists at most independent colleges and universities because a third of the sector’s students come from families earning less than $40,000 annually. Statewide, the independent sector provides students with more than $2 billion in assistance.
What is also clear is that the public wants a strong independent sector in the state’s educational mix. From 1990 to 2006, enrollment in independent colleges and universities grew 17 percent. Independent colleges and universities grant 57 percent of bachelor’s degrees, 72 percent of master’s degrees, and 80 percent of doctoral and first professional degrees in the state.
The independent sector is extremely important to the state in educating our students and driving our economy. Its value lies in the excellence of the educational institutions that form it, in the economic impact it generates for communities across the state, in its concern for low- and moderate-income students, and in its success in educating leaders who will ensure the future well-being of the state.
Clearly, it stands up to scrutiny.