Chancellor Nancy Zimpher says the new report card spells out SUNY's strengths and weaknesses.

"This is the first report card where we actually measure a year's progress and we look at our progress. It helps us focus as a system on the dials we're trying to move. Now we're beginning to see that it really matters how we pay attention to graduation rates, how we pay attention to transfer, how diverse is our student body. The data gives us a factual array of our condition."

The report shows SUNY's overall rates of graduation and retention are similar to national averages. But statistically, SUNY falls well short in graduating students in so-called STEM fields, which are science, technology, engineering and math. Zimpher says her staff — and the legislature — will use areas of concern brought up by the report card to craft policies that will improve areas where SUNY is lagging behind its peers.