The top official at the union that represents faculty and staff at New York's public colleges and universities in a letter released Wednesday urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to provide more financial support for the campuses amid budget woes. 

The letter from United University Professions President Fred Kowal pointed to the 19 campuses within the State University of New York system that are facing structural budget deficits reaching more than $100 million combined. 

“For over 20 years, SUNY has been forced to rely more and more on student tuition and mandatory fees than on state aid," Kowal wrote in the letter. "This is an unsustainable model. New York state must step in and provide the necessary resources to allow our campuses to operate without fear of cuts, downsizing, or reduced faculty levels. The future of SUNY—and the affordable education we deliver to students—is in jeopardy.”

Kowal's letter was released as Hochul is assembling her 2023 agenda and budget proposal. SUNY campuses have struggled with enrollment and budget problems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and officials in the system have sought to make applying to the schools easier with waived or reduced enrollment fees. 

John King, the former state education commissioner, is set to become the new SUNY chancellor. 

But the union also pointed to a Siena College poll that found a majority of voters in New York believe Hochul failed to deliver on the promise of bolster SUNY schools that she made nearly a year ago. 

Costs, meanwhile, have continued to increase for students, Kowal said. 

"We urge the state to put the 'public' back in public higher education this year, which can only be accomplished through a full financial commitment to SUNY," he wrote.