“As the class of 2015 became the most indebted in history, with the average student loan debt soaring to over $35,000 per graduate, SUNY’s plan to hike tuition for students while increasing the Chancellor’s salary to over $500,000 is an internal inconsistency that is hard to swallow for the students and parents who are struggling to pay for college. The Chancellor’s three percent raise, along with a substantial housing allowance and retirement benefits, also sends the wrong message to the hardworking men and women who work at colleges across the state.

“Rising tuition costs threaten to make a college education out of reach for too many New Yorkers. We must invest in our students and ensure that SUNY schools remain an affordable option so that our children have the opportunity to achieve a higher education without being burdened with crushing debt after they graduate.”