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    Some New York lawmakers and college administrators are worried about what the state's new free tuition policy at SUNY and CUNY could mean for private schools, including those at Utica College. The private college just cut its tuition rate by 42 percent last fall. Since Utica College lowered its undergraduate tuition rate last fall, enrollment and retention numbers are up. And now, Jeffrey Gates, the school's vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, says they're seeing a record number of applications too. But Gates fears this momentum could stall with the state's new Excelsior Scholarship. "We’re concerned of course that the budget is a clear statement from some officials that students should attend a public institution instead of small, private institutions like Utica and it’s sort of insulting to our students, the families and the trustees and our entire campus community," Gates said. Gates says offering free tuition at state colleges could inadvertently limit choices for students. "Each student has a different idea of fit, has a different idea of an experience and really what is going to be the best environment for them that’s what our concern is is that we don’t want to take choice away from students," Gates said. Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) says making college more affordable is something state leaders should be pursuing, but he thinks the Excelsior Scholarship is the wrong way to go about it. "I think there is a danger that private universities and colleges will have suffered under this proposal," Brindisi said. "Utica College just did the right thing last year by doing a tuition reset and lowering their tuition, but unfortunately they have not received any recognition from the state for doing that. Their main competition are SUNY schools and we should be incentivizing and rewarding private colleges and universities like Utica College that have done the right thing to lower tuition." The new state budget does increase scholarship funding for private schools, but the
    6 years ago by @prophe
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    States could save money and increase college-graduation rates by providing modest financial incentives for students to choose private colleges over comparable public ones, according to a report released this week. The conclusion, which was quickly disputed by a group representing public colleges, comes at a time when a growing number of states are providing the opposite incentives. This week New York became the first state to offer free tuition at both two- and four-year public colleges for middle-class families. Other states are considering similar moves, prompting widespread concern that enrollments could plunge at some tuition-dependent private colleges that recruit heavily from their states. The report was prepared for the Council of Independent Colleges as part of its efforts to promote the value of the liberal arts and independent colleges. The report was distributed this week to all of the council’s members, to provide talking points when they make the case for financial support from state lawmakers, especially in states where free public-college tuition is on the agenda. It’s hardly surprising that the council, which represents more than 700 nonprofit independent colleges, would promote a report based on the argument that costs per degree are lower and graduation rates higher at private institutions. But the report’s authors, both of whom work at public universities, say it is based on a comprehensive analysis of federal data and state-specific simulations in 24 states. In all but two of those states, the proposed shift would save money, the researchers concluded. The findings were dismissed by Barmak Nassirian, director of federal relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. "I empathize with their plight, and I don’t begrudge them their moment in the sun, if that’s what their report is, but there are lots of problems with it," he said in an interview on Thursday. "They’re trying to make the counterintuitive case that expensive schools are cheaper t
    6 years ago by @prophe
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    New York's private colleges and universities don't know what to expect under the state's free tuition program for students attending public colleges. New York’s freshly signed free public tuition program puts the squeeze on many of the state’s weakest private colleges and universities. Private college presidents know it. But most aren’t yet sure what to do about it. Those presidents reacted with a mix of dismay, confusion, criticism and, in some cases, resolve in the days after New York leaders struck a deal to start a tuition-free public college program this fall. The creation of a program in New York caps a winding and unexpected path for the free-college idea, which New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed early this year after it appeared to have died with Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. Cuomo held a ceremonial bill signing for the program Wednesday, which Clinton attended. The program, called the Excelsior Scholarship, will allow New York residents from families earning up to $125,000 per year to attend the state’s public community colleges and four-year colleges without paying tuition. It will go into effect this fall for students who are newly enrolling at institutions in the State University of New York and City University of New York systems and who come from families with incomes of up to $100,000 per year. The income limit will jump to $110,000 in fall 2018 and $125,000 in 2019. Cuomo’s office estimates that about 940,000 families in the state will be eligible at that point. The program poses a significant challenge for New York’s many small private institutions, which suddenly find themselves facing a new kind of competition and increasing inter-sector warfare in the state. The pressure will be highest on tuition-dependent colleges and universities that already compete for students in part by heavily discounting their tuition and that draw most of their students from inside the state. More prestigious colleges and universities, which pull in more students from out of state and are more selecti
    6 years ago by @prophe
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