SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — There are fewer students on SUNY Sullivan’s campus this fall.

President of SUNY Sullivan Dr. David Potash reported to the Sullivan County Legislature on November 7 that enrollment as of October 15 remains down. He attributed at least 30 spots of the enrollment dip to changes in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application.

“Oh my God, this is a lot fewer students. What does that mean for the budget?” Potash said.

As established at the state level, the county pays one third of the college’s budget, and legislative chair Nadia Rajsz has repeatedly called out the state for reneging on the promise to pay its share. The last piece of the pie is intended to be generated by school tuition.  

Despite the reported drop in enrollment, Potash said, “I am not anticipating anything dramatic in terms of budget changes.”

He added that there are “a whole lot of things that have slowed money out the door; tuition is just one piece of the pie.” 

Potash said the school expects to know more about how the enrollment will affect the budget at the end of December or early January. He said the school is working to try to understand what is helping and hurting enrollment. Members of the college are working to build stronger relationships with Sullivan high schools and are looking more closely at data to try to determine if the recent closing of on-campus housing or changes to the sports program have had a negative effect on enrollment.  

Read more about the changes at the school and budget:

riverreporter.com/stories/suny-sullivan-sees-future-in-health-care-helping-workers,161317

riverreporter.com/stories/new-president-college-will-not-lose-accreditation,157996?

riverreporter.com/stories/suny-sullivan-trims-down,157244