LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — The Sullivan County Legislature agreed to pay its $4.3 million share of the college’s new budget amid questions about its recent cost-cutting measures.

SUNY Sullivan’s new president, Dr. David Potash, fielded questions at the legislature’s public hearing on the $16.4 million budget just before it passed in an 8-1 vote.

Terry Blosser-Bernardo (R-9) was the lone no vote. She had a list of questions about recently trimmed programs and changes to the athletics department.

The student dorm has closed permanently, and hours at the student health clinic have been cut. The food services program will no longer offer a full meal plan service, with students offered transportation to shop at a local food vendor.

How will SUNY Sullivan reach its tuition goals? Blosser-Bernardo asked.

“What are you doing to fill that gap?” she asked. “How will tuition be made up?” 

Potash said he didn’t yet have the college’s full enrollment report, but that “significantly fewer” students “want a residential experience, like a residential hall.”

He said the school is focused on growing its health care programs. Many SUNY Sullivan students are adults attending part-time. These part-timers will return and expand the market if the college offers what they need, Potash said.

“Your concerns about tuition numbers are something we share as well,” said Potash. “The educational ecosystem has shifted quite a bit. Everyone is working, and the college has to shift when and how we offer courses to meet the needs of students. We need to meet students who have different work schedules and family needs.”

The school is expecting two new nursing cohorts next spring and summer, is expanding its medical assistant program, and is offering more microcredentials in the addiction treatment and disability fields, he said.

Potash said he isn’t “absolutely confident that our numbers will be the same,” but believes the budget for 2024-25 gets as close as possible.