Albany, NY - The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU), representing 100+ private, not-for-profit campuses, and the State University of New York (SUNY) are today announcing their first-ever partnership to develop an online “portal,” which will function as an easy-to-use Internet gateway to approximately 175 higher education institutions. The portal will have significant benefits for New York's businesses and the state economy.
Once designed and implemented, the portal will serve as a fast, relevant online resource to support efforts to connect, and grow industry clusters, emerging businesses, and non-profit organizations. New York State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos (R, Rockville Centre), who secured $2.5 million for the portal project in the 2005-06 State Budget and led the development of an economic development and job creation plan said, “Two years ago, the State Senate's NextGen Task Force proposed the creation of an Internet portal providing high-tech and biotech companies and researchers with the ability to work with one another and share their expertise. As chairman of the NextGen Task Force, I'm very pleased that this first-of-its-kind online gateway will now facilitate connections between industry and academia, offer new opportunities to New York companies, and build exciting careers for our students.”
“The Independent Sector's collaboration with Senator Skelos and the State University will strengthen higher education's role as a solution for New York State and a catalyst for the state's economy,” said Abraham M. Lackman, CICU president. “As New York State seeks to develop its economic potential by investing in academic research and talent, policymakers and regional leaders have stated a desire to more directly connect businesses and higher education institutions in order to facilitate productive partnerships.”
“SUNY and cIcu represent the interests of nearly one million college students in New York State, as well as hundreds of thousands of college faculty and staff, who are the best at what they do,” said SUNY Chancellor John R. Ryan. “The portal that we have signed on to create has the potential to bring the resources of New York State's public and private colleges to the fingertips of every person around the world. The portal will leverage New York's assets, by serving as an economic development engine and providing access to some the world's greatest research and academic institutions. SUNY and cIcu share the vision to accomplish this goal, and Senator Skelos has been an invaluable partner in making this vision a reality.”
The first-of-its-kind portal will connect the academic and business communities. It will provide firms, organizations and individuals with sophisticated search capabilities to facilitate access to expertise, research and business partnerships, consulting agreements, and service learning projects, as well as access to recent graduates, facilities and equipment, and technologies available for licensing. “The portal is an important step towards increasing the positive impact that higher education can have on economic development and growth throughout the state,” remarked David A. Caputo, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, and president of Pace University.
Daniel B. Walsh, president of The Business Council of New York State, Inc. said: "We applaud the leadership of our private colleges and universities and the State University of New York for coming together to create this portal. It makes sense from an educational perspective and it makes sense from a business perspective. It is a prime example of how we can leverage the strengths of our higher education institutions to enhance the state's overall economic development efforts."
Brian McMahon, president of The New York State Economic Development Council said: “Everything we know about the future of the global economy indicates that the “winners” will be those regions that can effectively respond to the knowledge requirements of technology industries. The portal project will allow potential business investors to access the vast resources of New York's public and private colleges at the speed of light. This will be a significant competitive advantage for our state. SUNY and CICU are to be congratulated on the completion of this important collaboration.”
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The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) represents the chief executives of New York's 100+ independent (private, not-for-profit) colleges and universities on issues of public policy. Member colleges compose the largest private sector of higher education in the world and confer most of the bachelor's degrees (56%), master's degrees (72%), and doctoral and first-professional degrees (80%) earned in New York State.
CICU member campuses enroll more than 466,000 students, including nearly 300,000 New York State residents. One in three (27%) New Yorkers enrolled full time at independent colleges and universities in the state comes from a family earning less than $40,000 annually. And most (52%) African-American and Latino students who earn their bachelor's and graduate degrees in New York State are Independent Sector alumni.