<P> Despite being one of the last states in the nation to establish a state university, the system was quickly expanded during the chancellorship of Samuel B. Gould and the administration of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, who took a personal interest in the design and construction of new SUNY facilities across the state . Rockefeller championed the acquisition of the private University of Buffalo into the SUNY system, making the public State University of New York at Buffalo . </P> <P> SUNY is governed by a State University of New York Board of Trustees, which consists of eighteen members, fifteen of whom are appointed by the Governor, with consent of the New York State Senate . The sixteenth member is the President of the Student Assembly of the State University of New York . The last two members are the Presidents of the University Faculty Senate and Faculty Council of Community Colleges, both of whom are non-voting . The Board of Trustees appoints the Chancellor who serves as SUNY Chief Executive Officer . </P> <P> The state of New York assists in financing the SUNY system, which, along with CUNY, provides lower - cost college - level education to residents of the state . SUNY students also come from out - of - state and 171 foreign countries, though tuition is higher for these students . Although tuition is higher for these non-resident students, their tuition is subsidized by New York State taxpayers . </P> <P> There is a large variety of colleges in the SUNY system with some overlap in specialties between sites . SUNY divides its campuses into four distinct categories: university centers / doctoral - granting institutions, comprehensive colleges, technology colleges, and community colleges . SUNY also includes statutory colleges, state - funded colleges within other institutions such as Cornell University and Alfred University . Students at the statutory colleges have the benefit of state - subsidized tuition while receiving all of the campus life amenities of the host institutions . </P>

How many schools are in the suny system