Hi - alumni here from late 2000s (Whitman). Like many others here, I thought the WSJ article was an interesting read — somewhat of a surprise but also not a surprise. We can argue about many things but it’s clear that the college landscape, external environment, and college decision considerations are changing. This may or may not be in Syracuse’s favor, only time will tell.
It has got me thinking though. I loved my experience at Cuse and it’s opened so many doors for me but if I was making the decision again, would I pick Cuse? Honestly, maybe not. Especially given other big state schools which have a similar experience, similar job outcomes, stronger rankings, and lower cost. If I had been raised in a different state instead of New York, I would have definitely looked at their flagship state schools instead, especially the UCalifornia system.
So the idea… Cuse should adapt to the future environment and the changes in the college landscape by becoming the flagship SUNY. This would be similar to UMich Ann Arbor, Wisconsin, or UC Berkeley.
- Current SUNY schools are a mixed bag. Some are objectively very good at an almost national level (Binghamton, stony brook) while others are more mixed (buffalo, Albany) and others are local community colleges. But none are true national representations of New York like we see with other big state schools
- Cuse has the intangibles to become the SUNY nationally. It has the academics and athletics. It is in the ACC, it has strong nationally ranked programs, it has the college campus that can be expanded.
- Cuse already positions itself like an elite SUNY. It’s “New Yorks College Team”. It draws a significant applicant pool from New York State and then sends them off to New York City and elsewhere, contributing back to the state benefit.
- Cuse has a strong impact on the city of Syracuse as a major employer. It has SUNY Upstate next door which could be consolidated into this new combined flagship. It’s a highly visible and important entity to NY already.
- The current SUNY campus network is too fragmented with too many small colleges. Many of these will probably be impacted in the future as college attendance and workforce dynamics change. Investing in one large university which already has the infrastructure and support to do so, would be a boon for the SUNY system and NY.
- Combining Cuse into SUNY would solve the price-value issue which is where Cuse is struggling currently. It would be a leading university, supported by a strong state system, with the potential to become a nationally recognized institution.
- The other arguments people have used to explain why Cuse is “failing” in my mind, are minor. The weather consideration is a factor but other schools have snowy and winter weather as well, and are not impacted by this. The snow is a part of the Cuse college experience and not something to hide behind. The biggest factors that will impact Cuse in the future are its cost to attendance and funding to support it remaining a national player. Becoming a SUNY solves this.
So in short, I’m sure I’m missing many reasons why this wouldn’t work but I think both Cuse and SUNY would be benefited by making SU into an equivalent of other large academic/athletic state schools. You can call it a buy out or merger or whatever but this would solve some major hurdles being faced by both entities. It would reposition the university into the program we could all rally around, and help to meet the future needs of NY. If this doesn’t happen, Cuse runs the risk of a death spiral being too expensive and too niche, and getting lost in the demographic and external shifts the US will face.
