Reply to SUNY schools — why aren’t they as popular as other OOS schools

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]  Seems incredibly short-sighted of NY state not to have a more appealing university system. Insane.  [/quote]

Well, appealing to you probably isn't their top priority.

NY has long had a huge network of private and religious-affiliated universities and colleges.   It didn't formally establish the SUNY state university system until 1948, and it was clear that from the start, SUNY - like many other state universities in the northeast -- wasn't intended to rival or supplant long-established in-state private universities (like Columbia or Cornell or Rochester).

New York was the largest state in the country when SUNY was founded, and SUNY was (and is) the nation's largest comprehensive public university system, so establishing a single "flagship" as in most states (save California) wasn't a feasible option.  So resources weren't funneled into one flagship showcase but spread around four university campuses (now winnowed down to two "flagship" campuses -- Stony Brook and Buffalo) and about 20 other colleges (plus community colleges).  A lot of expansion occurred in the 1960s, which of course is problematic for DCUM commenters who are convinced that the caliber of educational experience correlates directly to how closely a campus resembles either Harvard or Downton Abbey.

The SUNY system offers a solid, often excellent, education, in a range of different settings.    For NYers the cost is an incredible value; for OOS students, SUNY tuitions are still a very good value.    It's certainly provides a better education than many of the other schools that DCUM commenters talk about for their non-HYPSM kids, but apparently some DCUM families care more about climate or architecture (or some other subjective "vibe" metric) than they do about educational quality, so their loss.

I suspect for the state of NY, funding a university system that's largely going to provide an affordable college education for in-state residents who are likely to remain in state, and boost the state's skill and income levels, rather than serve as a pit stop for OOS students to absorb four years of education before they leave the state for elsewhere - is probably a good rather than bad outcome.   Thanks in large part to SUNY, NY has the highest college graduation rate of any of the ten largest US states.  Compared to that accomplishment, there's a strong case to be made that investing limited resources to generate "appeal" for out of state kids and their parents actually shouldn't be a top priority for a state university system.

[/quote]

Amen to this, too.

I live in PA and our in-state options are nowhere near as inexpensive. New York does a lot of things wrong, but I like and respect SUNY for all the reasons you explained. [/quote]

+1.  My nephew is applying to a couple SUNY schools as an OOS student and I was surprised how relatively affordable they still are.  I think as an OOS student it was something like $33k per year?  Instate at UMD CP is close to $30k per year at this point!  [/quote]

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