00:00So right now, some of the biggest issues facing higher education relate to the value proposition that students and their
00:06families are really considering when they're choosing a college and even choosing to go to college at all.
00:12Choosing to go to college at all, that comes up a lot. A lot of families, students in particular, are
00:17saying, is a four-year college degree worth it? How do you talk them through that?
00:21Sure. So for the vast majority of students, it is very worthwhile for them to complete a four-year degree.
00:28Now, a key word there is complete that four-year degree because it's essential when students start college that they
00:33finish college because students with a degree in hand, they perform better in the job market, they live longer, healthier
00:40lives, and they're engaged citizens.
00:42So we think for those reasons, it's a great choice to go to college. But again, the most important thing
00:48to do is to go to a college that fits you and a college that you will complete.
00:53And also a big consideration is a college that you can afford. How are you seeing rising costs impact your
00:59campus?
01:00Well, what I see is that more and more parents and families are considering public higher education. We see across
01:07the SUNY system increases in enrollment year over year over year.
01:11And I think that's indicative of people deciding that cost is a big consideration. And I see more students and
01:18their families talking about the cost and how SUNY Purchase, which has a very, very affordable price point, how that
01:26is a big part of their choice.
01:28And what we're able to do here is say that you don't have to choose a campus with an expensive
01:35price tag to get a fantastic experience.
01:38So the rising cost of a college education has been something that people have been grappling with for a decade
01:44now, if not more. How has that evolved during your time in leadership in higher education?
01:49Yeah, definitely it continues to be a challenge. At SUNY, we've kept tuition pretty flat for quite a few years.
01:56But more and more parents are looking more widely at different campus options.
02:02You know, one of the things that's fantastic about American higher education is there are so many different options, so
02:08many different choices, public-private, two-year schools, four-year schools throughout the nation.
02:14And, you know, it used to be just about the most selective, the best. And now I'm seeing more parents
02:19consider different factors that play into that, along with, you know, academic excellence.
02:23Part of it that families need to consider more is how much debt their students will be leaving college with.
02:30And I think that is a factor that people need to consider because a lot of students today are planning
02:36not only on just a four-year degree, but on further degrees, whether it's medicine or law or graduate school
02:42or something of that sort.
02:44So thinking about how much debt you're leaving your four-year degree with, and here at SUNY Purchase, it's typically
02:51less than $25,000.
02:53That's the view from the college president. But I also wanted to hear directly from the students and parents at
02:58Move-In Day. Everyone I spoke with had a different plan on how to pay for college.
03:03Out-of-state tuition is definitely a lot. So I took out some student loans and was able to do
03:10that pretty easily.
03:12And I also put on, like, my own fundraising show. Like, I produced my own show to raise money to
03:19come to college. So, yeah.
03:20How much did you raise from that?
03:23About $3,500. Yeah.
03:25Is this something you're going to be doing regularly, you think?
03:27Yeah, I'm planning actually on doing it every year in my hometown since it was so successful.
03:32So it, like, kind of helps me, like, build my own scholarship fund a little bit.
03:35I have a love for art and a love for sculpture, but I just know it wasn't feasibly possible for
03:40me to do that as a career since I am low-income.
03:45So that's why I chose political science and law and justice, because I could go down that law school track.
03:51I'm a teacher, so I'm very big on education. So it's worth it for me to, you know, spend your
03:57money on that.
03:58So you have to start planning early and try not to put yourself in too much of a hole debt
04:03-wise, but you do the best you can.
04:06About 18,000 or so just to live on campus. So that, I think the tuition, state tuition, is about
04:13seven.
04:13So altogether, it's like 32,000, majority of that is boarding.
04:17So that did make, it was just like a wow factor to see how much it costs to board and
04:22the eating packages, 3,700 and some change, you know, per semester, just to be able to feed your kid.
04:30I'm a first-generation student. I get free housing being an RA, so that, because of that, now I don't
04:37have to pay for anything in school at all with FAFSA and TAP.
04:42Did you have to take out any loans to attend school?
04:44For my first year, I did, but once I became an RA, I didn't have to take out any more
04:49loans, so now I've been paying them back.
04:51We've been saving for a while. We have an education savings program and then the balance we're paying for.
04:59Has that affected your retirement plan?
05:02We're never going to retire. You want that? That's madness.
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