SUNY Campuses to Get $12 Million for High Need Programs

The Integrated Science Center at SUNY Geneseo in Geneseo, New York. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that 36 SUN) campuses will receive $12 million in funding for programs in high-need fields. (Benjamin D. Esham / Wikimedia Commons)

NEW YORK—More than half of State University Of New York (SUNY) campuses will get $12 million for programs in high need fields.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week that the funds will be spread out amongst 36 SUNY campuses.

The SUNY High Needs Program was created to meet the state’s need for nurses and engineers. Current programs include biomedical engineering, cybersecurity, and mechatronics, among many others. More career fields could be added to the program following recent talks between SUNY and the New York State Department of Labor (DOL).

“The High Needs Program and others like it are helping fulfill SUNY’s original purpose: to be world class institutions that foster cutting edge innovation and train the next generation of high tech workers,” Governor Cuomo stated in a press release. 

A total of 63 programs will receive funding, including $520,000 for an Information Technology program at the University of Albany, $690,000 for the Biomed Engineering program at the University of Buffalo, and $522,000 for a master’s program in Cybersecurity at the Binghamton University.

High needs occupations are selected based on the total number of projected job openings and a high growth rate, based on DOL statistics.

New York state will need approximately 2,340 engineers and engineering technologists, 15,660 new healthcare practitioners and health technicians, and 800 new farming, fishing, and forestry personnel per year to meet the needs over the next decade, according to the DOL.