Bill Text: NY S04743 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes a Black Leadership Institute within the state university of New York as an initiative for Black leaders in higher education with a mission to retain and grow from within SUNY a greater proportion of Black professionals at SUNY campuses; creates an eight member advisory council.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-20 - referred to higher education [S04743 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-S04743-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4743 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 14, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. WEBB -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a Black Leadership Institute within the State University of New York The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The State University of New York 2 ("SUNY") has committed to becoming the most inclusive university system 3 in the country, where all students, faculty, and staff feel welcome and 4 supported. To meet this goal, SUNY must employ, in addition to faculty 5 and staff, leaders at the highest levels who share common experiences 6 and culture with those who comprise the fastest-growing segment of its 7 student population: diverse students who will become the nation's next 8 generation of leaders. 9 SUNY has seen a steady increase of Black students in recent years, 10 reaching nearly 11 percent, or over 42,000 students, in the 2019-2020 11 academic year. While SUNY continues its efforts to ensure that campus 12 leadership and faculty reflect the students they serve by hiring faculty 13 who are more representative of the diverse student population at SUNY 14 campuses, the diversity within executive leadership teams on many 15 campuses can be expanded further with support from the legislature. 16 It is, therefore, the intention of the legislature to create a Black 17 Leadership Institute ("the Institute") as an initiative for Black lead- 18 ers in higher education with a mission to retain and grow from within 19 SUNY a greater proportion of Black professionals at SUNY campuses. The 20 Institute shall offer support and foster professional development for 21 candidates for senior leadership roles on SUNY campuses, which will, in 22 turn, create a more diverse SUNY culture that represents New York state 23 and the SUNY student population. 24 The legislature further intends that the Institute would be designed 25 to open doors to executive-level positions and strengthen the Universi- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03053-01-3S. 4743 2 1 ty's pool of Black leaders. The Institute will identify, develop, and 2 recruit, and ultimately support, retain, and foster the success of Black 3 leaders across the SUNY system. 4 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 362 to read 5 as follows: 6 § 362. Black leadership institute. 1. Subject to an appropriation for 7 this purpose, the chancellor of the state university of New York, in 8 consultation with the board of trustees of the state university of New 9 York, shall create a Black Leadership Institute within the state univer- 10 sity of New York to foster the success of Black leaders at the universi- 11 ty president and president's cabinet level. Such institute shall develop 12 candidate identification and recruitment efforts, search committee 13 training, professional development and individualized support measures 14 for institute participants, professional assistance programming, 15 services, research and resource identification activities, and any other 16 programs deemed necessary to effectuate the intent of this institute. 17 2. The chancellor shall appoint an executive director and an eight 18 member advisory council, to provide guidance and advice to further the 19 development and growth of the institute. The director and the members of 20 the advisory council shall serve for three-year terms, with the director 21 and three advisory council members appointed in the first year of the 22 institute's existence, three other members appointed in the second year, 23 and two members appointed in the third year. The director and advisory 24 council members may be reappointed at the end of each term in the manner 25 of the original appointment. The director and advisory council shall 26 receive no compensation for their work in conjunction with the insti- 27 tute. 28 3. In considering measures and programming for effectuating the 29 purpose of the institute, the institute shall consider such factors as 30 program cost-effectiveness; the ability of such programs to offer 31 programmatically appropriate, long-term, training, and support services; 32 the ability of such programs to enable individuals to participate in the 33 institute to receive rewarding training, services, and supports; and 34 current and projected employment data at campuses within the state 35 university system. 36 4. The executive director shall prepare and present to the governor, 37 the speaker of the assembly, and the majority leader of the senate at 38 the beginning of each regular session of the legislature a separate 39 report covering, in summary, and in detail, all phases of activity of 40 the institute for the immediately preceding fiscal year. 41 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding 42 the date on which it shall have become a law.
