(01-17-2014 05:35 PM)cuseroc Wrote: Some folks scoffed when I said that SU might as well be a state school the way the school is treated in the state. There are more folks in NYS that follow SU than any other school by far. Its an economic engine for Central NY. SU may be a private buts its situation in NY is much different from most other privates. On the other hand, its absolutely crazy that any school, private or public could get this kind of money from a state for athletic facilities.
But SU wouldn't even sniff any association with state funding without Onondaga County pushing for this as a public-private project. SU doesn't receive state benefits for its general mission. Onondaga County taking the lead for this 'big economic shot', with it potentially being privately controlled by a corporation, makes this palatable for Cuomo.
It's just dubious when you consider other cases of state support for economic development to private schools. Cornell recently received over $100M from NYC to co-found a massive technical university branch on Roosevelt Island. U of Rochester received money for a key technical building. In Syracuse? Big ideas about retail and entertainment (Destiny USA) or other entertainment (potential stadium). One failed, the other might as well, and neither would be significant job and revenue generators, based on past research on such projects.
This project would only be different in its questionable use of state funds benefiting a private school's football team. There are already cases of private basketball programs using publicly-funded arenas (Siena, the Johnnies, Buffalo's Little 3).
And sports popularity shouldn't be viewed as a correlating to overall strength. SU is a larger employer (#2 to SUNY Upstate) in a mid-sized metro with very few large employers. U. of R.'s medical center alone produces as much economic output as all of SU, and employs far more locally. Cornell is a $3.6 Bil beast. Stony Brook's impact approaches $4.6Bil on Long Island and employs nearly 60,000. UB is a top 3 brand in WNY and receives $300 Mil-$500 Mil annually in construction funds. Cuomo has been here multiple times to announce projects like
this,
this,
this, and
this. Comparatively, a stadium investment would pale in overall impact, as your last sentence likely points out.