Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, issued the following statement following the release of a report on the Start Up NY program's second year of operation.
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I don't think there are any major surprises in the Start Up NY report that was issued last week, but it may be a little premature to make pronouncements on the success or failure of the program.
As I have said in the past, this is a program designed to harness the entrepreneurial spirit and new ideas from our college students. It has been clear since day one that it would take time for this program to be successful and in areas like the North Country it is hard to have patience with economic development efforts when we need jobs now.
It is also clear, however, that the Start Up NY, as presently designed, is far more beneficial for SUNY's research centers than the SUNY colleges in the North Country. It may be time, for example, to look at directing more resources to the program for a period of time to determine the program's long-term viability. It doesn't appear the SUNY schools in the North Country have the resources they need to make a committed effort to utilize Start Up NY on their campuses.
I would like to see the governor look at including funding in the SUNY budget for dedicated program personnel and academic program investments for the Start Up NY program.