This may be the Ivy of the SUNYs, but Binghamton University was certainly slapped across the face over the winter break by Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
His proposal for revamping the SUNY system included establishing a flagship campus, specifically mentioning the universities at Stony Brook and Buffalo as the two candidates, a blow that has undoubtedly broken BU President Lois B. DeFleur’s heart, turning her red with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.
After all, touting the campus as the Best Buy or Most Self-Aware in the Northeast will pale in comparison to being SUNY’s College on a Hill.
‘It’s a distinction that doesn’t really serve anyone well,’ the president noted at the Student-Faculty town hall meeting this month.
And here, on this rare occasion, we must agree with our president.
A declaration of superiority for one SUNY campus can only come to the detriment to the remaining 63 ‘ especially if BU is reduced to being one of the ‘followers.’ Academically, Binghamton has always been hailed as the jewel of the SUNY system, so it comes as a surprise that we should not be chosen to wear its crown.
But our dismay at getting hosed by the governor isn’t a representation of how we feel generally about his plan. A purposeful and detailed plan for investing money and attention in public higher education could not come at a better time, especially as state budgets tighten their belts.
The rest of Spitzer’s proposal sounds positive. From hiring more full-time professors to creating differential tuition to creating a massive fund for research, we’re feeling good about what could be in store for SUNY.
The idea of spiking a flagpole (or pedestal) in Buffalo or Stony Brook just smacks of trying to turn SUNY into something its not, and we hope that President DeFleur continues to fight against its implementation.
New York state’s public university system often measures itself against the older, more prestigious New England schools, but as one of our editors said, you can’t fabricate tradition. The system is new and public, and we should learn to accept modernity and embrace the diversity of the campuses.
Instead of investing in a flagship school, Gov. Spitzer should consider investing in the smaller campuses, like New Paltz and Oswego. Once larger schools like Binghamton and Albany have opted to increase their tuition, they will become magnets for more students looking for education with a small price tag, and they’ll need funding to carry the load.
In the meantime, Spitzer should restrain himself from bestowing the artificial prestige of a flagship school on any campus, and DeFleur should continue to tell him so.