SUFFERN NY – On Thursday June 27th, “Phase 3” of the SUNY Rockland’s plan to slash costs by up to $5 million dollars began with the dismissal or 30-day notice of a number of Rockland Community College Employees.
Several key positions were immediately eliminated, as well as 30-day notices given to at least one other longtime employee. Notably, after the Executive Director of Human Resources completed her first round of firings, she herself was fired.
Prior to this, the lead-up was carefully crafted. On Wednesday, June 26th the SUNY Rockland Community College Board of Trustees met to approve what they termed as “Phase 3” of the plan to reduce the widely reported $5 million dollar deficit that the college has faced. The deficit stems in part from years of poor fiscal discipline as well as questionable executive hiring and procurement practices. This was first reported by Rockland News in October of 2023.
At the June 26th meeting, A total of $2.6 million dollars in jobs, positions, or roles at the college were approved for termination. To be clear: That’s $1.6 million in current positions, and another $1 million in what the Board called “vacancies” that were already in existence, namely from restructuring that was conducted by former President Dr. Lester Rapalo, who was dismissed from his own position three weeks ago.
In an interview with Dr. Rapalo with Rockland News, he had indicated that up to 20% of staff could ultimately be laid off, or fired.
The “vacancies” plan was implemented several months ago, presumably during phase 2 – when several key employees that had served the college for 10 years or more, including the Director of the RCC Haverstraw Extension, were moved into different positions or responsibilities.
Other 30-day notices include the widely respected Dr. Brian Merritt, who directed the RCC Haverstraw campus for many years.
The longstanding RCC Haverstraw Extension program is also set to be shuttered, saving the college another $130,000 in rent, but making it more challenging for Haverstraw residents to receive higher education without incurring heavier time and expenses to commute back and forth to the main campus.
Officer in Charge Dr. Beth Coyle has asked the Board to revisit and review the budget “every two weeks”, and warned that during this difficult time, short-term cash flow will rise and fall for the near future. She also pushed back on notions that the college will need a bailout from Rockland County or Albany.
The college’s enrollment is nearly half of its peak from recent years – a decline from 9000 students to the current estimates of approximately 4800 students.