Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R-C, Staten Island) today announced his appointment by Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra as an Alternate to the New York State Legislative Joint Budget Conference Committee on Higher Education for the 2026 to 2027 state budget.

Speaking during a recent higher education budget meeting, Pirozzolo pointed to Staten Island as a clear example of how targeted investment can deliver real results, highlighting the impact of the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business at the College of Staten Island.

“On Staten Island, in my district, we have the College of Staten Island, and recently they were given a $7.5 million donation from the Jay and Lucille Chazanoff Foundation. That donation has allowed us to earn an AACSB international accreditation, which applies to less than 6% of business schools globally,” Pirozzolo said.

Pirozzolo noted the achievement demonstrates what is possible when higher education institutions receive the investments and support they need.

“I’m just using that as an example of what investing in our CUNY systems and our SUNY systems and all of our higher education schools can do when the proper investments are made,” he said.

Pirozzolo concluded by emphasizing that higher education must continue evolving to meet student and workforce demands.

“There is one threat that I do see, and it’s the fact that many employers are looking to grab their students directly from high school and have them skip the higher education process altogether. I know that our colleges have been working more in trade education, but I think that is something that we need to keep at the forefront of this conversation,” he added. “If we don’t give these students the trade skills that they desire, they will get them somewhere else, and that will leave us flat.”