“This restricted funding for SUNY and UMass etc whereas in other places such as MI there was no such lobbying effort. One would think by now the northeastern publics could have overcome this, but they are not fully recovered.”
Actually, it was not a matter of restricted funding but complete obstruction. Whereas the public school systems in other states (Georgia (1785), North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1789) and William and Mary (1693 or 1888 depending upon what you count) were established to provide its residents with excellent higher learning, NY had no public university system until the 1950s. There were public “trade schools” and “normal schools” for those who were not from the economic classes (leisure classes) that could afford private liberal arts. Officials vigorously opposed development of an educational system in NY. When some officials were able to advocate successfully for a system (because the return of the vets from WW2 put too much pressure on the private schools which could not accommodate them and because the GI bill meant those who could not have afforded college otherwise now could), 150 years after many states had excellent systems, they did so by promising that the public system would not compete with the private schools for at least a decade (which lasted much longer) and they would not build endowments and they would not attract those who could afford a private school. The promise was that they would only attract those who could not afford to go anywhere else. And, that was part of the plan-not a mistake!
Anyone thinking that the extent to which the 4 SUNYs have a utilitarian (ugly) look to them is coincidence is simply naive. That is part of the non-compete. To boot, the system has been deprived of proper funding in good economic times and in miserable times. Buildings planned decades ago are on again and off again. The result is that the academic buildings are sadly dated as soon as they are built. On one campus they are building with the goal of expanding numbers just at the time the college population in NY is dwindling. Why? Can’t you guess.