Res. No. 2036 Title Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to adopt Assembly Bill A.2354 and its companion bill, S.2971, which amend Sections 353 and 6204 of the Education Law, in relation to providing that the Trustees of the City University of New York and the State University of New York shall not be employees of, or under the supervision of, the appointing authority. Body By Council Members Marshall, Perkins, Robinson, López, Freed, Michels, Reed and Warden; also Council Members Linares and Quinn Whereas, The Board of Trustees of the City and State Universities ("the Trustees") are charged under law with formulating and implementing substantial academic policy decisions of the City University of New York (CUNY) and the State University of New York (SUNY) systems, which are publicly funded academic institutions of higher education; and Whereas, The decisions of the Trustees are of great importance to the fulfillment of the mission and governance of CUNY and SUNY, as provided under the Education Law, and to the students of the City and State of New York; and Whereas, The Trustees of CUNY and SUNY are appointed by the Governor of the State and/or the Mayor of the City of New York to govern these public institutions; and Whereas, The current provisions of the Education Law fail to protect against potential and actual conflicts of interest by and between the appointing authority and the Trustees and thereby fail to protect each individual trustee's fiduciary duty to these institutions of higher education and to the public; and Whereas, Assembly Bill A.2354 and its companion Senate Bill S.2971, amend the relevant provisions of the Education Law to ensure the objectivity of the Trustees by limiting appointments to those who are independent of the appointing authority; and Whereas, Governance of CUNY and SUNY should be expedited without political motivation; and Whereas, Academic and other policies of CUNY and SUNY should be made in the best interests of the people of the City and State of New York, without any actual or apparent conflict of interest, and should seek to fulfill the lawful stated mission of these institutions of higher education; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to adopt Assembly Bill A.2354 and its companion bill, S.2971, which amend Sections 353 and 6204 of the Education Law, in relation to providing that the Trustees of the City University of New York and the State University of New York shall not be employees of, or under the supervision of, the appointing authority. LS#4568 MFB:ts 08/16/01