<p>Just Spanish?? Pretty weak.</p>
<p>News:</a> Disappearing Languages at Albany - Inside Higher Ed</p>
<p>Just one of the several Northeastern states that never really committed to a top-notch public university system.</p>
<p>Meanwhile in Pennsylvania:</p>
<p>From Gov. Rendell’s 2009-10 budget address:</p>
<p>“This budget also doubles the state capital investment in projects at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, as well as continuing our annual commitment of $100 million in funding for important campus projects at the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, Lincoln University, and Temple University. Our economy depends on the vitality of our higher education institutions. It is critical that we move forward with these capital projects.”</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>“The budget includes $35 million to restore cuts to the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and a $15 million boost in funding for enrollment at community colleges in the state. Families earning less than $100,000 would also get tuition assistance under a provision known as the Pennsylvania Tuition Relief Act.”</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>"Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell will apply the federal stimulus to avoid cutting the budgets of Pitt and three other state-related schools.</p>
<p>Rendell, a Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday that he hoped the additional $42 million in funding would allow schools to keep from raising their tuitions."</p>
<p>“Just Spanish?? Pretty weak.”</p>
<p>Spanish is a money-maker for SUNY Albany. They sell their Spanish IV and V programs to public high schools around the Capital District to juniors and seniors seeking college credit in the high school classroom. That’s great for the kids who plan to attend a SUNY but the credits are not transferrable to most selective private colleges and universities (and many high schools neglect to tell this to parents).</p>
<p>I wonder if this isn’t just the beginning of a major shift at SUNY Albany from aspiring to be a top research university to becoming the SUNY system’s “Public RPI?”</p>
<p>I’m sorry, it is totally bush league for a university not to offer French, no matter how tech focused its student body. RPI, Georgia Tech, Caltech etc. all do. This is really sad.</p>
<p>Article (as well as school website) says they are also eliminating the theater department.</p>
<p>It’s no news flash that New York State is in sorry fiscal shape. This is just another example. However, I’m not so sure it’s a bad idea. When you have a large state university system, why have so much duplication? Why have every major at all 64 campuses? Maybe it is a better use of resources to have fewer majors at each particular school. Albany students can still take some French classes, but if you want to major in French, go to a different SUNY. Take the four major universities (Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Stony Brook) and dedicate each to several particular specialties. Have one of them be “the place to go” for engineering, another for business, etc. There will still be classes available in all subjects, and those wanting a broad liberal arts education can go to Geneseo, Oneonta, or any of the numerous other colleges. Is this such a bad idea?</p>
<p>Chardo,</p>
<p>I agree with you. The SUNYs are to provide education for all in the state and it makes fiscal sense to consolidate and specialize some of the schools. In these difficult financial times, I prefer to see some cuts versus large tuition increases.</p>
<p>No offense to anyone who goes or plans on attending Albany but the school is horrible, gives a bad name to other SUNY’s like Binghamton, and Geneseo. As a New York resident I understand the state is going through some rough times but cutting a college to one language is insane. This means that majority of highschools will be offering more languages then a new york state college. This is just sad.</p>
<p>I’m all for specialization, but this is the kind of basic world-literacy program that any decent university needs to offer. I don’t care if they get rid of the French major at this campus. But the article states that the French department is being eliminated altogether. To not offer COURSES in any modern language besides Spanish is, I repeat, bush league. I would say the same thing if they had a humanities-specialty campus and didn’t offer calculus there. This kind of opportunity is fundamental to a university education.</p>
<p>It’s simply a matter of economics…and perhaps a bit of a SUNY fighting back! Obviously, if the funding isn’t there, they simply can’t afford to maintain programs that few students enroll in and which don’t generate research dollars. Though it’s interesting that this is happening at Albany, where it’s sure to get decent press and the attention of lawmakers! I doubt we’d hear much about it if it happened at Potsdam or Canton. </p>
<p>The SUNY’s have taken massive funding cuts over the past few years, a time of record enrollments, and the legislature ultimately declined to adopt the SUNY-backed proposal to move toward self-sufficiency…which included planned tuition increases and public/private partnerships which would reduce costs and provide economic benefits statewide. At that point, I think it was obvious that cuts would start hitting students in more serious ways. Luckily for those who simply want to take these courses as electives, all of the SUNY’s have numerous articulation agreements in place and there are a few consortiums which allow cross-registration at other SUNYs and private schools at no additional cost. </p>
<p>I’m not a big fan of tuition increases either but the way it’s been done in the past has not been rational or reasonable. Imho, the PHEEIA deserves to be resurrected in the legislature and subjected to honest and open debate.</p>