State University of New York Office of General Counsel

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY's 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the state's only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2021, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum.

The Office of General Counsel provides legal services and support to the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor and senior officers in System Administration at Albany, New York, and the presidents and administrators of the campuses within the System. Under the leadership of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and the General Counsel, the SUNY Office of General Counsel is responsible for providing legal services to the System and the 29 state operated campuses.  The OGC consists of 45 experienced higher education attorneys, paralegals and support staff located in Albany at the System Administration headquarters and in campus-based offices at the four University Centers, Health Science Centers, and various SUNY colleges.