Testimony of Richard T. Anderson, President New York Building Congress
before New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Higher Education
New York City

November 25, 2003

The New York Building Congress welcomes this opportunity to discuss the need for comprehensive capital plans for the State University of New York and City University of New York. In recent decades, investments in the State’s college campuses have generated widespread benefits for all New Yorkers. It is imperative that there be no further delay in appropriating funds to carry forward the critical capital improvements to academic facilities at campuses throughout the State and City university systems.

As a membership coalition of the design, construction and real estate community, the Building Congress is well aware of the critical needs and priorities that should be part of a comprehensive capital plan. We commend the Legislature for including appropriations in the fiscal year 2004 budget to pay for a host of SUNY hospital and dormitory capital projects, as well as for capital improvements to community college facilities operated by both the SUNY and CUNY systems. However, the delay in funding key capital projects at SUNY and CUNY senior college campuses is impeding necessary physical upgrades to institutions that serve more than 300,000 students statewide.

New York’s educational facilities are major contributors to the State’s long-term economy and fundamental to its quality of life. If New York State is to remain a healthy environment for business growth, we must prepare the next generation of leaders to meet the diverse challenges of the 21st Century marketplace. New York cannot accomplish this without a firm commitment to continuously modernize its higher education facilities.

The key to a sound multi-year capital program is predictability in the budgetary process. For this reason, we implore the Executive and Legislative branches to resolve their differences and work diligently to ensure the maintenance of annual funding levels necessary to support strategic long-term rehabilitation and expansion programs. All New Yorkers are well aware of the importance of these programs to improving the health and safety, technology infrastructure and overall quality of education on SUNY and CUNY campuses.

Further delay in appropriating capital funds to worthwhile projects robs the economy of the stimulus provided through the creation of construction industry jobs. At present, the industry is operating at less-than-full capacity, especially in markets such as educational infrastructure. Now is exactly the right time to be building.

Moreover, any interruption in the building process creates additional costs and inefficiencies that New York can ill-afford. We urge the Committee on Higher Education to devote its best efforts to working with the Office of the Governor and the State University, so that full funding for a capital plan can be put in place in the near future.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify. If the Building Congress can be of assistance, please call on us.