SUNY Stony Brook to Shut Operation At Southampton

The State University of New York at Stony Brook will suspend undergraduate admissions and close the residential program at its Southampton campus, putting jobs in jeopardy and provoking criticism from United University Professions President Phillip H. Smith, who said the university had jumped the gun.

Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. said that a 20- percent reduction in state support over the last two years, amounting to $55 million, necessitated the cuts. “With no apparent relief from Albany, we must be fiscally responsible and live within our means,” he said in a statement.

‘Disrupts Student, Faculty Lives’

Stony Brook’s announcement of the cuts also mentioned that there would be “some still-to-be-determined job losses,” but did not give specifics.

Mr. Smith said in a phone interview that the decision was “premature and very abrupt; it’s disrupted the lives of 500 students and we’ve got 82 [staff members] who are very concerned.”

He has assured staff at the campus that they will not lose their jobs but instead be reassigned within Stony Brook, but said he was “concerned about the very tenuous nature of the adjuncts that are there. Because they are basically atwill employees, they may wind up not being renewed very abruptly.”

He added that he was confused that Stony Brook had decided to close the campus before the SUNY budget was finalized. “Why do it now? Why not wait until we have a state budget to actually know what may or may not happen with SUNY funding?” he asked.

Lower Tuition Hurts Finances

Dr. Stanley said that the college “remained steadfast in our commitment to research and teaching at the site,” promising that the marine science and creative writing programs would remain active.

But with dormitories closing and undergraduate admissions halting, the school’s prospects seem grim. The campus was once Long Island University’s Southampton College, but closed in 2005. It was acquired by Stony Brook and re-opened in 2007. It is roughly 50 miles from Stony Brook’s main campus.

“It’s losing somewhere between $6 to $10 million per year,” Mr. Smith said. “When Long Island University operated the property, they were charging something like $20,000 per year in tuition, and Stony Brook is charging only $5,000, so obviously there’s a huge gap.”

He said the opening of the campus had been “a vision of the previous [Stony Brook] President,” who envisioned “a kindler, gentler, greener campus than the Stony Brook main campus, which is largely focused on science and engineering.”

The loss of the campus would have a great impact on the area, Mr. Smith predicted, pointing out that there “aren’t any community colleges that far east on Long Island.” He said his members who worked at the school were also concerned because of the long commutes they might face to Stony Brook if their jobs are re-located.