What academic programs will be impacted at Buffalo State University?

Buffalo State has identified 37 degree programs, certification titles, concentrations, minors, and certificates to be deactivated and/or discontinued. To date, 27 of those have been vetted through our university processes and have either completed or are in review at the SUNY and State levels:

  • Afro-American Studies, B.S.
    (Buffalo State offers Africana Studies, B.A., a growing program that is interdisciplinary and extends to the culture, institutions, languages, history, and intellectual contributions made by peoples of African descent)
  • Biology Education, certificate (42 credit hours)
    (Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, and Physics Education certifications are now included in Science Education, M.S.Ed.)
  • Biology Education, certificate (36 credit hours)
    (Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, and Physics Education certifications are now included in Science Education, M.S.Ed.)
  • Chemistry, M.A.
    (Buffalo State offers Chemistry, B.S., Forensic Chemistry, B.S., and Forensic Science, M.S. programs)
  • Chemistry Education, M.S.Ed.
    (Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, and Physics Education certifications are now included in Science Education, M.S.Ed.)
  • Chemistry Education, certificate (42 credit hours)
    (Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, and Physics Education certifications are now included in Science Education, M.S.Ed.)
  • Chemistry Education, certificate (36 credit hours)
    (Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, and Physics Education certifications are now included in Science Education, M.S.Ed.)
  • Dance, minor
  • Design, B.S.
  • Early Childhood Education, B.S.
    (Early Childhood certification can still be achieved in four ways at Buffalo State: Early Childhood Education, Birth through Grade 2, B.S.; Early Childhood and Childhood, Birth through Grade 6, B.S.; Special Education, Early Childhood, M.S.Ed.; and Curriculum and Instruction, M.S.Ed.)
  • Early Childhood Education, M.S.Ed.
    (Curriculum and Instruction, M.S.Ed., now includes option for Early Childhood certification)
  • Foreign Language Education, M.S.Ed.
    (In a move responsive to the needs of our community, Buffalo State has refocused on bilingual and multilingual education, which is offered as an advanced certification beyond the bachelor's level with advanced certifications including Bilingual Inclusive Education)
  • French and Francophone Culture, minor
  • French Education, B.S.
  • French Education, certificate
  • Italian, minor
  • Literacy Specialist, 5-12, M.P.S.
    (This certification has been replaced by the Literacy Specialist, All Grades certification program required by NYSED)
  • Physics, M.A.
    (Buffalo State offers Physics, B.A. and B.S. programs)
  • Physics Education, certificate (42 credit hours)
    (Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, and Physics Education certifications are now included in Science Education, M.S.Ed.)
  • Physics Education, certificate (36 credit hours)
    (Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, and Physics Education certifications are now included in Science Education, M.S.Ed.)
  • Professional Applied and Computational Mathematics, M.S.
  • Professional French, minor
  • Spanish Education, B.S.
    (In a move responsive to the needs of our community, Buffalo State has refocused on bilingual and multilingual education, which is offered as an advanced certification beyond the bachelor's level with advanced certifications including Bilingual Inclusive Education)
  • Spanish Education, certificate
  • Special Studies, B.S.
  • Urban Education, M.S.
    (Urban Education courses are now offered at Buffalo State as a microcredential to add to any master’s level program)
  • Urban Studies, B.A.

An additional 10 programs are under review for deactivation by Spring 2025:

  • Applied Math, B.S.
  • Ethics, minor
  • Gerontology, minor
  • GIS, minor
  • Mathematical Logic, certificate
  • Non-Spanish and Chinese Concentrations, certificate
  • Printmaking, minor
  • Printmaking Concentration, concentrations in B.F.A. and B.A.
  • Religious Studies, minor
  • Statistics in Insurance, certificate

What will happen to Buffalo State students in the impacted programs?

The 34 students (0.6% of the student population) who are already enrolled in these offerings will be able to complete the programs. No new students will be admitted to the 27 degree programs, certification titles, concentrations, minors, and certificates to be deactivated and/or discontinued that have either completed or are in review at the SUNY and State levels.

How did Buffalo State arrive at the list of programs to discontinue?

Impacted programs have been vetted through Buffalo State University processes and have been reviewed, or are in review, at the SUNY and State levels.

These processes included:

  • A review of enrollment levels for the past five years for undergraduate and graduate programs.
  • Academic Affairs consulted with the deans' offices and the Teacher Education Unit and identified programs and certification titles for deactivation or discontinuation. Twenty-one programs with no enrollment were identified. Buffalo State's College Senate Curriculum Committee approved the deactivation and discontinuation of those programs.
  • In 2023, faculty and deans' offices reviewed Fall 2018 through Fall 2023 enrollments and each school submitted proposals to deactivate or discontinue programs that had less than five students. A total of 16 programs were approved for deactivation or discontinuance by the College Senate Curriculum Committee.

Deactivation refers to programs being removed from the catalog and no longer accepting students. Discontinuation, which follows deactivation, refers to a program being removed from the inventory of registered programs.

Will other programs be considered for discontinuation?

Buffalo State is in the first phase of program deactivations or discontinuances. After this phase is complete, departments will continue to review programs.

What do these changes mean for Buffalo State alumni who hold degrees in the impacted programs?

All Buffalo State degrees remain as meaningful as the day they were issued. Program discontinuations are not a reflection of a program's quality, its dedicated faculty and staff, or of the alumni who earned the degrees.

Given New York State is facing a pending teacher shortage, why is the Urban Education, M.S., being deactivated?

Buffalo State continues to prioritize preparing future teachers. Urban Education courses are now offered at Buffalo State as a microcredential to add to any master’s level program. We will rise to this challenge and expand our role as a leader with the creation of new teacher education pipelines.

How does the deactivation of the Afro-American Studies, B.S., impact the growing Africana Studies program?

Deactivating the Afro-American Studies, B.S., allows the campus to focus attention on the Africana Studies, B.A., program. This program is interdisciplinary and extends to the culture, institutions, languages, history, and intellectual contributions made by peoples of African descent across Africa, the United States, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and South America. Exploring synergies with existing units will strengthen our program.

Buffalo State is known for its Early Childhood Education programs. Why are the Early Childhood Education, B.S., and Early Childhood Education, M.S.Ed., being deactivated?

Early Childhood Education programs are thriving at Buffalo State University. No active education programs are being deactivated; only titles with discontinued certification tracks. Buffalo State remains an institution known for best preparing teachers.

Candidates who wish to work in preschools and early childhood centers should understand this program for that developmental level is vibrant and being taught by outstanding faculty.

Early Childhood certification can still be achieved in four ways at Buffalo State: Early Childhood Education, Birth through Grade 2, B.S.; Early Childhood and Childhood, Birth through Grade 6, B.S.; Special Education, Early Childhood, M.S.Ed.; and Curriculum and Instruction, M.S.Ed, which includes an option for Early Childhood certification.

What does the deactivation of Spanish Education, B.S., and Foreign Language Education, M.S.Ed., indicate?

Buffalo State University's leadership in bilingual and multilingual education is unique and is responsive to the needs of our communities. That has not changed. The certification area Buffalo State supports with its program is called Bilingual Inclusive Education, which is offered as an advanced certification beyond the Bachelor's level. Buffalo State's focus on multilingual education will include Spanish and other languages.

What do the deactivations of the Chemistry, M.A.; Chemistry Education M.S.Ed. and Physics, M.A., mean for students interested in chemistry and physics?

Buffalo State University's Chemistry, B.S., program remains among the most populated ones at the university. Buffalo State also offers Forensic Chemistry, B.S.; and Forensic Science, M.S. programs.

Buffalo State's Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology and Physics Education certifications are now included in the Science Education, M.S.Ed.

Buffalo State's Physics, B.A. and B.S. programs are also among the most populated ones at the university. Buffalo State offers Physics Education, Grades 7 through 12, M.S.Ed., as well.

How are Buffalo State finances shaping up as 2023-24 ends? Have the structural deficit projections changed? What about 2024-25?

Buffalo State began the 2023-24 year with a structural deficit of $16.5 million. The plan originally submitted to SUNY proposed the deficit would primarily be reduced through attrition over a five-year period starting July 1, 2023. In the first 10 months of this plan, Buffalo State has not seen the level of attrition anticipated. However, thanks to a combination of increased investment from the State and higher enrollment levels for Spring 2024, increased revenues will aid Buffalo State in supporting its Year One goal.

The 12-month rolling hire freeze that was implemented in November 2023 has provided some gains, but not at the level expected. This was partially due to the lag between when the employee leaves the institution and when they come off the payroll.

We will be providing a complete financial analysis of Year One of the Framework for Financial Sustainability plan after June 30, 2024.

Moving forward, we will continue to focus on attrition and the hiring freeze, we will lean into our strengths, and we will turn our approach more aggressively to three areas:

  • Increasing and stabilizing enrollment
  • Reducing our overall operating costs
  • Optimization of our workforce

How long will the hiring freeze remain in place?

The 12-month rolling hiring freeze will continue through the life of the Framework for Financial Sustainability plan and will continue to be assessed as part of the review of this plan.

Salary savings of 20% can be used to backfill positions for the first year. The rehire rate is 40%, so we are expecting supervisors to look at the duties and functions of the personnel in their area carefully before moving forward with a hire after the 12-month period.

What changes are being made to the workforce across campus?

Buffalo State must aggressively approach reducing overall operating costs while prioritizing investment in key areas. This is a university-wide project, and the Framework for Financial Sustainability plan cannot be successful with reliance on only one area. The Budget and Staff Allocation Committee of the College Senate (BSAC) has recommended we proactively reduce workforce in our administration, instruction, and other non-instruction areas.

We are looking at departments that may be over-subscribed with personnel who can fill vacancies in departments that are understaffed. Consolidation of departments to achieve both efficiencies and salary savings can be of great benefit.

We are reviewing our personnel structures to determine how to optimize our current talented workforce to best serve our students. This is not just an exercise in numbers. We cannot succeed without adding humanity and respect to our decisions.

How will Buffalo State be tracking the progress of efforts to reduce the structural deficit?

Buffalo State has been actively tracking progress to our Framework for Financial Sustainability plan. We monitor all attrition and rehires each pay period and reconcile the information by division. In addition, we meet with our colleagues at System Administration on a biweekly basis, using this time to learn about best practices utilized by other campuses, ensure our tracking documents reconcile with System Administration's, and measure both progress toward success on both enrollment goals and the effectiveness of our investments and cost control activities.

What are the details of the Voluntary Separation Program being offered?

The VSP is open to all full-time, retirement-eligible SUNY Buffalo State employees. The specific details of the program are available on the Human Resource Management website.

What are the details of the Phased Retirement Program being offered?

Buffalo State’s phased retirement program will continue for eligible academic and professional employees. The program provides an opportunity for a phased approach to retirement, allowing employees to transition into retirement gradually, with a reduction in workload or obligation and commensurate reduction in pay. The program is voluntary and optional.

Program details, including eligibility requirements, the application, and the intent to resign for retirement template letter, are available on the Human Resource Management website. Eligible employees should discuss the program with their chair or head of their department.

Participation in the program is subject to review and approval of the President. Please contact Human Resource Management with questions.

How is Buffalo State using the increased State funding announced in May to close the deficit?

SUNY’s announcement of an additional allocation of $2.8 million for Buffalo State University in May will provide additional funding to enhance student internship experiences, support faculty and student research, and recognize the work of dedicated faculty and staff by covering a portion of the State negotiated salary increases. Over the past two years, Buffalo State has received a combined total increase in State support of nearly 40%.

This is a positive development as we continue to work toward addressing our structural deficit, but this funding must be utilized as part of the overall strategy of the Framework for Financial Sustainability plan to ensure that these investments by the State and SUNY are used wisely and effectively.

Who was involved in the process of making these decisions?

The shared governance structure of Buffalo State’s University Council, College Senate, Professional Staff Caucus, Foundation Board, and our collective bargaining partners has worked together and with our administration and SUNY to set the path to create a more sustainable, robust, and effective institution.

What is being done to attract new students and increase enrollment?

Students from Western New York continue to represent the largest percentage of Buffalo State's overall enrollment. We will continue to focus on intensive recruitment in this area through a coordinated variety of approaches and initiatives. However, Buffalo State cannot survive solely as a regional institution. We will be offering scholarships and grants that will help us attract students from the entire state and beyond.

Retention remains a significant enrollment strategy for the campus community. Our retention efforts will continue to be energetic through our current Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Roar 2 Success, All College Honors, Say Yes programs, and our academic departments. Also, the academic advising structure is being revised to be more holistic, robust, and reach more students.

How were the projections for enrollment and retention determined?

Given the institution’s primary source of direct revenue is enrollment, these projections were developed through a shared conversation between Enrollment Management and Finance and Management and then agreed upon by the Cabinet. It was vital to the overall plan development that we put together enrollment projections that supported our revenue needs while supporting the student experience.

The projections, in close collaboration with SUNY administration, were developed based on historic enrollment trend data to determine reasonable projections to support the overall plan. The data examined typical growth in applications and admitted students, as well as improved efforts with retention, to settle on goals that move the institution forward.

Our financial position will improve as we improve our enrollment efforts. This is critical to the success of the Framework for Financial Sustainability plan.

What does the future of Buffalo State University look like?

Buffalo State will face these challenges head on, continuing progress toward repositioning ourselves as SUNY’s premier comprehensive institution and reaffirming our role as Buffalo’s university.

Buffalo State is committed to ensuring its financial sustainability while maintaining high-quality educational experiences for its students. This university will overcome its current challenges and achieve its strategic vision. We must capitalize on our historical strengths and align our efforts with the emerging trends here in Buffalo, Western New York, across New York State, and beyond to make that vision a reality.

For example:

  • New York State faces a pending teacher shortage in the coming years with anticipated mass retirements in urban, suburban, and rural school districts. Buffalo State will rise to the challenge and expand our role as a leader with the creation of new Teacher Education Pipelines.
  • Our science, innovation, and technology infrastructure is unmatched among our SUNY peers. Our unique programs focused on applied learning across our STEM offerings make us a leader in New York’s technological growth.
  • We are in the epicenter of arts, culture, and tourism with Buffalo State’s Burchfield Penney Art Center, the expanded AKG Art Museum, the Buffalo History Museum, the Richardson Olmsted Campus with its Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo, and so much more on and surrounding our campus. With our long history of art education, art and design, art conservation, and hospitality, we are perfectly positioned to leverage these historic investments.