Those in charge of private colleges here in Western New York are telling New York's governor to stop assaulting independent higher education.
Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to move money from the Bundy Aid Program to HECAP. Bundy is a $35 million dollar program that a lot of private colleges use for financial aid. HECAP is a highly competitive aid program for infrastructure on college campuses. The governor said this move would be more impactful for private colleges by reaching more students.
Daemen College President Dr. Gary Olson said getting rid of Bundy means Daemen would lose $250,000 a year.
"With the free tuition last year and the Bundy Aid this year, this is the death now probably for a lot of colleges in this state," Dr. Olson said.
Presidents at several private colleges in Western New York are still seething over what they see as favoritism towards SUNY Schools, in the form of the Excelsior Scholarship. It offers free college tuition to families making up to $100,000 a year to any state school.
Last fall Caniuis College had to slash its tuition cost by 23 percent in order to compete with the Excelsior Scholarship.
The governor's office released this statement:
"Governor Cuomo will continue to work with private and public institutions to make college as affordable as possible."
