The Senator, who serves as Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, was honored after SUNY’s State of the University address in Albany

ALBANY (TIP): On Wednesday, May 22nd, Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (Senate District 11- Queens), Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, was presented with the SUNY medal by Chancellor John King. The honor is in recognition of “years of tireless advocacy on behalf of public higher education in the State of New York.”

This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), a program Senator Stavisky and Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy were committed to overhauling to better reflect current economic realities. The “Turn on the TAP” campaign helped secure major improvements in the New York State Budget, including:

• Doubling the minimum award from $500 to $1,000
• Increasing dependent student income eligibility from $80,000 to $125,000
• Increasing the income level for independent, single students from $10,000 to $30,000
• Increasing the income level for independent, married students from $40,000 to $60,000

“As Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee I am honored to receive this award,” said Senator Stavisky. “During my tenure as Committee Chair we have worked tirelessly to reverse a decades long pattern of disinvestment in funding SUNY. We are now seeing its first enrollment increase in many years. We must continue to deliver for our students by investing in infrastructure and operating aid and research and development to keep pace with modern technology. I have often said that when a student attends a public higher education institution, they receive a ‘Tiffany education’ at a ‘Target price.’ We are committed to continuing to meet and exceed that standard.”

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “Since becoming Chancellor, I’ve enjoyed the incredible opportunity of working alongside Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. She fights tirelessly for New Yorkers’ access to high-quality, affordable, higher education every day—from securing the much-needed TAP increase in this year’s budget, to passing legislation allowing nursing students to complete one-third of their clinical training through simulation last year, to securing critical operating and capital funding for SUNY as well as investments each year for programs that make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students and adult learners. It is truly an honor to present the SUNY award to such a champion.”