Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers calls for comptroller audit of college finances
More than 11,300 students were enrolled this semester at Nassau Community College. Credit: Howard Schnapp
The Nassau Community College teachers union has called on the state comptroller to audit the college’s finances, alleging "potential fiscal mismanagement."
The union wants state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office to review the college’s "budgeting, expenditure processes, capital projects, staffing, grants and enrollment management practices" from Sept. 1, 2009, through December 2024, according to a release.
The union, which includes 375 full-time tenured faculty members, is raising questions about the oversight of grant money and capital improvements, proper staffing for courses, alleged budget discrepancies, the use of outside legal counsel and cuts to student extracurriculars. Policies such as disenrollment for late payment or attendance is leading to fewer students signing up for classes, the union asserted in the release.
"NCC leadership is steering the college towards bankruptcy while taking the taxpayers for a ride ... Their failure to meet their fiduciary obligations and our request for rigorous oversight has fallen on deaf ears," David Stern, acting president of the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers, said in a statement.
Jerry Kornbluth, the college's vice president for community and governmental relations, on Wednesday called the union's allegations "a false narrative."
He noted under the current administration enrollment has increased.
More than 11,300 full- and part-time students were enrolled in the college this semester, according to figures previously provided by Kornbluth. That is a 3% increase from last year’s spring semester, though the total enrollment is down by about half from a decade ago.
Kornbluth also said the college's fund reserve balance has gone up and the administration has worked to wipe out a multimillion dollar deficit.
"This is a $185 million corporation and we have to run it like a corporation, like a business ... The main focus is to provide every single opportunity to the students we serve and that’s why we're in this business," he said.
A spokesperson for the state comptroller’s office confirmed on Wednesday that the union's audit request had been received and that it was being reviewed.
The tension between union members and administrators has been boiling over for some time. Last year, they clashed over the closure of food and dining services on campus. The union said it also filed an ethics complaint with the state over the college's hiring of a lobbying firm to back the Sands casino proposal at Nassau Coliseum. The status of the complaint was not known Wednesday.
Last spring, the administration approved a plan to reduce the number of academic departments from 21 to six to address declining enrollment and a multimillion dollar deficit, Newsday previously reported. The union challenged the consolidation but a Nassau County Supreme Court judge dismissed the suit last month.
Stern argued the reconfiguration costs the college more money in part-time administration hires.
Kornbluth said of the audit request, "After their lawsuit failed and their other accusations were proven to be false, this is sadly another harassing tactic against the community college by a very desperate union leadership."
The request comes days before a scheduled visit by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a global institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education since 1952.
Through self-study assessment and a site visit by a team of experts, the firm decides on accreditation status of colleges and universities. Among the factors it considers are an institution's ethics and integrity, and delivery of student learning and leadership.
In 2016, a preliminary report from the Middle States Commission found the college was lacking in "stable leadership, integrity, planning and financial resources as well as other benchmarks," Newsday previously reported. At the time, the college was found to be in compliance with seven out of the commission's 14 standards. It did not lose accreditation but was put on probation.
Losing accreditation puts student federal aid programs at risk and may hurt an institution’s reputation. It took about a year and a half for the college to be removed from probation by the Middle States Commission.
Kornbluth does not expect a similar outcome when the commission visits next week.
"In 2025, the college is much different," he said.
The Nassau Community College teachers union has called on the state comptroller to audit the college’s finances, alleging "potential fiscal mismanagement."
The union wants state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office to review the college’s "budgeting, expenditure processes, capital projects, staffing, grants and enrollment management practices" from Sept. 1, 2009, through December 2024, according to a release.
The union, which includes 375 full-time tenured faculty members, is raising questions about the oversight of grant money and capital improvements, proper staffing for courses, alleged budget discrepancies, the use of outside legal counsel and cuts to student extracurriculars. Policies such as disenrollment for late payment or attendance is leading to fewer students signing up for classes, the union asserted in the release.
"NCC leadership is steering the college towards bankruptcy while taking the taxpayers for a ride ... Their failure to meet their fiduciary obligations and our request for rigorous oversight has fallen on deaf ears," David Stern, acting president of the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers, said in a statement.
Jerry Kornbluth, the college's vice president for community and governmental relations, on Wednesday called the union's allegations "a false narrative."
He noted under the current administration enrollment has increased.
More than 11,300 full- and part-time students were enrolled in the college this semester, according to figures previously provided by Kornbluth. That is a 3% increase from last year’s spring semester, though the total enrollment is down by about half from a decade ago.
Kornbluth also said the college's fund reserve balance has gone up and the administration has worked to wipe out a multimillion dollar deficit.
"This is a $185 million corporation and we have to run it like a corporation, like a business ... The main focus is to provide every single opportunity to the students we serve and that’s why we're in this business," he said.
A spokesperson for the state comptroller’s office confirmed on Wednesday that the union's audit request had been received and that it was being reviewed.
Frequent clashes
The tension between union members and administrators has been boiling over for some time. Last year, they clashed over the closure of food and dining services on campus. The union said it also filed an ethics complaint with the state over the college's hiring of a lobbying firm to back the Sands casino proposal at Nassau Coliseum. The status of the complaint was not known Wednesday.
Last spring, the administration approved a plan to reduce the number of academic departments from 21 to six to address declining enrollment and a multimillion dollar deficit, Newsday previously reported. The union challenged the consolidation but a Nassau County Supreme Court judge dismissed the suit last month.
Stern argued the reconfiguration costs the college more money in part-time administration hires.
Kornbluth said of the audit request, "After their lawsuit failed and their other accusations were proven to be false, this is sadly another harassing tactic against the community college by a very desperate union leadership."
Middle States visit
The request comes days before a scheduled visit by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a global institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education since 1952.
Through self-study assessment and a site visit by a team of experts, the firm decides on accreditation status of colleges and universities. Among the factors it considers are an institution's ethics and integrity, and delivery of student learning and leadership.
In 2016, a preliminary report from the Middle States Commission found the college was lacking in "stable leadership, integrity, planning and financial resources as well as other benchmarks," Newsday previously reported. At the time, the college was found to be in compliance with seven out of the commission's 14 standards. It did not lose accreditation but was put on probation.
Losing accreditation puts student federal aid programs at risk and may hurt an institution’s reputation. It took about a year and a half for the college to be removed from probation by the Middle States Commission.
Kornbluth does not expect a similar outcome when the commission visits next week.
"In 2025, the college is much different," he said.
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