Does the buck stay here?
The fact that many of New York”™s college graduates take their sheepskins and their giddyup with them for use outside the state is a concern to many leaders in mid-Hudson halls of higher education. Â
Fr. Kevin Mackin, new president of Mt. St. Mary College in Newburgh, met three mid-Hudson peers for dinner and dialog, courtesy of the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce”™s dinner on October 1. Fishkill”™s Holiday Inn was the venue and when it came time to talking turkey, all four agreed the cost of keeping up with ever-changing technology and encouraging graduates to remain in New York once they”™ve attained their degree can be a challenge. The job market is slender, home prices are out of reach and the possibility of starting a new business can be daunting if it”™s not clean, green and lean … or already established by parents. Â
Steve Poskanzer (SUNY New Paltz), David Conklin (Dutchess Community College) and Catharine Hill (Vassar College), along with the new kid on the block, Mackin, all  spoke of the deteriorating effect the economy is having on students”™ ability to continue with their education, particularly for those who rely on student loans. Banks have tightened  lending ”“ in some cases, taken educational loans off the table ”“ and homes that had provided a way to fund secondary education have often sunk in value ”“ crimping the ability to use them as ATMs ”“ or are already tapped out.
“More than 56 per cent of the men and women who attend Vassar are receiving student aid,” said Hill. “Our ”˜sticker price”™ is high, but in some cases, for those who meet the low income threshold, it may be less expensive to choose a private college.” Still, Hill acknowledged, even some of those students already receiving help are struggling.
Conklin said since the 8,500 full- and part-time students that are enrolled on his campus live at home while attending the two-year school, “the chances they will stay here once they graduate are greater. And our Dutchess County Legislature has been very supportive and helped us to keep our tuition low.” The college”™s foundation allows for the top 10 percent of the county”™s high school graduates “to come to Dutchess and have their tuition and fees paid for. Last year, we had 32 students come through the program,” said Conklin. Housing is in the cards for Dutchess, which is proposing residences for 450 students who cannot make the commute to school and maintain rigorous schedules. Â
Poskanzer noted New Paltz”™s unusual distinction between itself and other schools in the SUNY system: It is the only four-year public college in New York with a  focus on undergraduate degrees. It is the third-largest employer in Ulster County and Poskanzer estimated the college generates $274 million a year in economic impact on the community through direct purchase, salaries and through student spending. His colleagues agreed that the spending habits of students and faculty, as well as salaries, provide hundreds of jobs and pour millions into the economy.
One way to involve students in the community ”“ and hopefully keep them interested in staying local ”“ is through the Center for Research Regional Education and Outreach, said Poskanzer. “When students take part in what”™s going on around them, it increases their sense of belonging.” Â SUNY New Paltz plans to enlarge its residential accommodation, as well: It recently purchased 40 acres adjoining the campus, where housing for students and faculty members should be available by 2010.Â
“We”™ve undergone the largest building campaign in our history, over $180 million construction ongoing now during our 10-year capital improvement plan, including a $60 million science building and the complete renovation of our original building (Van Den Berg Hall),” said Poskanzer. New Paltz will be getting a new swimming pool and some landscaping changes to reconfigure parking areas.
Spending to keep up buildings and grounds, as well as adding needed technology, adds up: Hill said Vassar invested approximately $45 million in capital improvements over the past decade and is currently renovating student residences. Mackin came from Siena College to a campus that had tripled in size under the leadership of his predecessor, Sister Ann Sakac. A $75 million science and technology building, new residences for students and other projects are under way to meet student and staff needs. Â
Getting young people ready to interface in a global economy is challenge enough, said Mackin, “but when you have students half-way through a semester find out they can no longer afford to come to school, that”™s a problem hitting us right here at home.”
More than 150 business owners and students attended.
The greatest challenge? “Balancing the budget,” said Mackin emphatically, eliciting empathetic smiles from the panel. “We want to raise the level of excellence and provide the best in the face of economic downturn. That”™s a reality we have to deal with.”
