Gov. Eliot Spitzer has proposed a multi-billion dollar plan to revitalize New York State’s public university system, graduating it to a level of prestige on par with those in states such as California.

Spitzer’s proposal would add 2,000 new full time faculty jobs, turn two campuses into flagship universities and create a $4 billion endowment to finance future improvements.

But the governor’s proposal faces an uphill journey through state legislature, where some influential legislators are already voicing disapproval. “What the senate would like to see in terms of improvements to higher education in New York is to help middle class families afford the cost of a college education,” said Mark Hansen, a spokesman for Rep. State Senate Bruno, the senate majority leader and Spitzer’s most powerful opponent. “Instead, Governor Spitzer has not proposed anything to make college more affordable.”

Winning legislative approval for educational reform, albeit difficult, faces better odds this year than it has decade. Bruno’s republicans hold only a one-seat majority in the senate as this year’s statewide elections approach in November. Spitzer is working hard, if quietly, to gain another seat or two in the senate during the election. Democrats already control the state Assembly.

Still, if history is any guide, there is no guarantee that a democratic legislature will approve Spitzer’s reforms.

Those reforms are many. An important and controversial one is to finance the endowment by selling shares of the lottery system to private investors, an idea not entirely popular within a republican Senate.

“The lower education [K-12] money comes out of the lottery as well,” said John Divito, senior legislative analyst to Republican Sen. Owen H. Johnson from Suffolk County.

For the 2006-2007 fiscal year, roughly 38% of total funding for New York State’s lower education public schools was from the lottery, according to the Lottery’s website. Spitzer recognizes that lawmakers may question whether this number will remain unchanged with the proposal, but asserts that lower education funding will continue to grow.

“Existing revenues for K-12 education will be fully protected,” said John Charleston, Director of Communications at the New York Lottery. “This will be done by ensuring that the State retains in a ‘K-12 Trust Fund,’ an amount of Lottery revenues and/or proceeds from any investment in the Lottery.”

Speculation also exists around whether this strategy promotes gambling in the state of New York.

At $4 billion, the endowment size per full time student would climb to $19,259. Currently, New York State endows $5,582 per student. Today, California endows $19,945 dollars per student.

Other investments suggested by Spitzer include a $9.3 billion capital plan for SUNY and CUNY to help rebuild infrastructure. One project suggested is a pilot “Greening of SUNY” initiative to provide campuses with the ability to finance energy conservation programs, which would mediate operations costs in the long-term.

The plan also called for savings that would generate $50.9 million in General Fund Savings for he state by requiring SUNY and CUNY to cut operating costs by 2.5 percent.

All in all, the resources allocated to SUNY and CUNY in this proposal amount to 9 percent of Spitzer’s 2008-2009 Executive Budget plan, up from 6.6 percent in 2007. California allocates 11 percent of their State funds to higher education, according to some sources.

Spitzer’s plan has already gained some momentum, picking up endorsements from groups such as the New York Public Interest Research Group and the New York State United Teachers group.

The governor’s team sounds hopeful. "We’re looking forward to working with the legislature to enact this proposal," said Jeffrey Gordon, the spokesman for the New York State Budget Division. “We’re optimistic.”