NEW PALTZ – The State University of New York is not immune to the state budget cuts that have resulted in across the board departmental reductions.

So far, SUNY New Paltz has had its budget slashed by $660,000, a cut that is “not disastrous,” College President Steven Poskanzer told the College Council on Thursday.

Should deeper cuts be felt, that could drive up the cost of tuition, which rose just once in 13 years, he said. And, while the fiscal impact to any additional budget cuts could be $2.9 million at New Paltz, Poskanzer said the college is equipped to handle them.

“Our campus doesn’t panic about things like this; we do have healthy reserves,” he said. “We have a budget for this year that should be in the black, but we have a way of managing at least the manageable levels of cuts that we’ve had so far, that we will think carefully and well with the faculty and staff about what we need to do.”

Poskanzer said there has been no tuition increase in the last six years and as state funding to the SUNY system declines, the students may be called upon to pay more of the freight.