Responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in the State University of New York system, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher went before Albany politicians last week to help keep the schools running.

On Feb. 10, Zimpher testified about the 2015-16 annual budget from the New York state government in a joint hearing of the State Assembly and Senate Committees, including Ways and Means and Higher Education. Following her State of the University address in January, Zimpher asked representatives to approve increased spending on infrastructure and to continue funding past commitments at the same levels, including legislation from NYSUNY 2020.

Zimpher said that the state government needed to support the costs of current SUNY community colleges, hospitals and employees, police officers in particular. According to her, the pension benefits for such officers were not competitive enough to retain them and were very costly to the entire system.

“Under the current arrangement we simply cannot compete with the benefits offered by similar entities, and our students and campus communities would be better served by fewer turnovers at our University police departments,” Zimpher said. “Since 2008, 64 officers have left their SUNY posts for other departments, which has resulted in recruitment and training costs of $5.4 million.”

Zimpher also argued that since nearly half of all SUNY buildings were 40-to-50 years old, the state would need to drastically increase its spending on the system’s infrastructure from $200 million to $600 million a year for construction and renovations. Zimpher said that since almost 40 percent of SUNY-owned assets were such properties, such an investment was practical.

Zimpher reminded politicians that in 2011, New York representatives passed NYSUNY 2020, legislation that included a pledge to graduate 150,000 students by 2020. According to Zimpher, the current number is 93,000.

“In New York, the unemployment rate is two times higher for those without a college degree and we simply cannot allow anyone to be left behind,” Zimpher said.

Supported by testimony from Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger, New Paltz President Donald Christian and Monroe Community College President Anne Kress, Zimpher emphasized an increase in performance-based funding for schools. She proposed that the state government raise support for such programs, including the Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) and “Finish in Four” degree guarantees, from $18 million to $50 million.

“Perhaps the most important [proposal] is to provide funding to SUNY that can be used to reward performance of individual campuses. I am strongly in favor of this proposal,” Stenger wrote in an email. “The performance goals that will be rewarded are things we are good at, such as high impact learning experiences, graduation rates, retention rates, and sponsored research.”

Zimpher also proposed an additional $10 million per year to attract and retain professors focused on research. According to her, a limited number of about 100 such professors reaped in over $500 million of outside funding annually for further research.

“Our success, both internally and for the state in terms of research, relies on this very small number of ‘rainmakers,’” Zimpher said.

That same day, representatives of the Student Assembly of SUNY testified that current budget plans were insufficiently funded or were even cutting necessary aid to students, such as money for EOP and textbooks.

“Investment in SUNY is not a one-way revenue stream,” said Lori Mould, president of the Student Assembly, to the committee. “We generate $5 in spending for every $1 the state invests. SUNY is responsible for providing students with various services and supports that are directly responsible for ensuring our students access, completion and ultimately success throughout their education endeavor.”

The legislative committees were still debating these proposals as of Tuesday, but according to Stenger, the chances of them being approved were “very good.”