N.Y. Educ. Law § 351

§ 351. State university mission. The mission of the state university\nsystem shall be to provide to the people of New York educational\nservices of the highest quality, with the broadest possible access,\nfully representative of all segments of the population in a complete\nrange of academic, professional and vocational postsecondary programs\nincluding such additional activities in pursuit of these objectives as\nare necessary or customary. These services and activities shall be\noffered through a geographically distributed comprehensive system of\ndiverse campuses which shall have differentiated and designated missions\ndesigned to provide a comprehensive program of higher education, to meet\nthe needs of both traditional and non-traditional students and to\naddress local, regional and state needs and goals. In fulfilling this\nmission, the state university shall exercise care to develop and\nmaintain a balance of its human and physical resources that:\n a. recognizes the fundamental role of its responsibilities in\nundergraduate education and provides a full range of graduate and\nprofessional education that reflects the opportunity for individual\nchoice and the needs of society;\n b. establishes tuition which most effectively promotes the\nuniversity's access goals;\n c. encourages and facilitates basic and applied research for the\npurpose of the creation and dissemination of knowledge vital for\ncontinued human, scientific, technological and economic advancement;\n d. strengthens its educational and research programs in the health\nsciences through the provision of high quality general comprehensive and\nspecialty health care, broadly accessible at reasonable cost, in its\nhospitals, clinics and related programs and through networks and joint\nand cooperative relationships with other health care providers and\ninstitutions, including those on a regional basis;\n e. shares the expertise of the state university with the business,\nagricultural, governmental, labor and nonprofit sectors of the state\nthrough a program of public service for the purpose of enhancing the\nwell-being of the people of the state of New York and in protecting our\nenvironmental and marine resources;\n e-1. encourage, support and participate through facility planning and\nprojects, personnel policies and programs with local governments, school\ndistricts, businesses and civic sectors of host communities regarding\nthe health of local economies and quality of life;\n f. promotes appropriate program articulation between its\nstate-operated institutions and its community colleges as well as\nencourages regional networks and cooperative relationships with other\neducational and cultural institutions for the purpose of better\nfulfilling its mission of education, research and service.\n