Dear Buffalo State Community,
As the fall semester comes to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on all that our students, faculty and staff have accomplished and where we stand with our efforts to close our structural deficit.
We began this academic year on a strong note, with a 3.7% increase in freshmen enrollment compared to 2024, positioning us to have among the largest incoming freshman classes in the four-year SUNY University Colleges sector. We also increased our retention rate for the Fall 2024 class by nearly 8 percentage points and more than 16 percentage points compared to three years ago, while boosting our retention rate for residential students by more than 20 percentage points from three years ago.
This is a testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff across campus to deliver high-quality, in-demand programs; expand the reach of essential support services through ACE, Roar 2 Success, EOP, Honors and many more; and promote a tight-knit culture that makes Buffalo State a draw for students from Western New York and throughout New York State.
These achievements also advance our Framework for Financial Sustainability plan. As we reach the halfway point of the academic year, we are seeing significant progress toward our goal of achieving a balanced budget. Growth is a core pillar of how we must continue achieving success.
We also have continued to realign staffing with enrollment, as we said we would. I announced last spring that academic and operational changes may result in up to 63 full-time equivalent reductions in staffing that would be achieved through termination of temporary appointments, non-renewals of term appointments and retrenchment, only when necessary.
Actions taken this month included retrenchment for nine academic positions, each associated with programs previously identified for deactivation. There were additionally a non-academic retrenchment and two Management / Confidential positions eliminated. A decision was made to end 30 active searches for open positions, two-thirds of which were non-academic positions.
Even with clear targets shared openly with our campus last spring, these decisions still are never made lightly. In taking these steps, our priority is always on the needs of our students, including ensuring that students are able to remain on track to complete their studies and receive key services they need for success.
At the end of the upcoming semester, we will be one step closer to having completed two years of our dynamic five-year Framework for Financial Sustainability plan. I am deeply grateful for the dedication of every member of our campus community — from shared governance leaders and collective bargaining partners to our University Council and community leaders — who have lent their time and support to help us strengthen Buffalo State today and for generations to come.
I wish you all a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year. I look forward to what we can accomplish together when we reconvene for the spring semester in January.
Sincerely,
Bonita R. Durand, Ph.D.
Interim President
Buffalo State University