Spitzer creates Higher Education Commission

Gov. Eliot Spitzer wants to expand college programs to mirror regional economic development objectives and expand campus research centers to make the state University of New York more competitive with other states.

Spitzer created a new Higher Education Commission that is charged with making recommendations to improve the SUNY system by upgrading academic research centers and easing the transition for junior college students who are moving to four-year schools or into the workforce.

"The state's network of outstanding public and private colleges and universities are essential to producing the highly skilled workforce that will be a major driver of New York's upstate economy," Spitzer said this week.

Composed of college presidents, administrators, lawyers and higher education organizations, the commission will also search for new funding streams and methods for colleges to attract "the best and the brightest students and faculty," Spitzer said.

Commission member William Scheuerman, president of United University Professions, said identifying reliable funding streams for higher education is critical toward improving the state education system.

"Addressing that issue will preserve the quality of our public colleges and universities as they struggle to cope with growing enrollment and the need to hire more full-time faculty," Scheuerman said in a prepared statement.

United University Professions represents 33,000 faculty on 29 New York state-run campuses.