This coming Wednesday, our Editorial Board will be sitting down in two separate meetings with some of the most influential people in the state. The interviews will be streamed LIVE on LoHud.com.

First, at 11 a.m. the new SUNY Chancellorm Nancy L. Zimpher, and Purchase College President Tom Schwarz will join us. Zimpher, formerly president of the University of Cincinnati, became the State University of New York’s ninth chancellor, and its first woman chancellor. She took the position effective June 1 and has made an ambitious start, pledging to visit all 64 SUNY campuses, including Purchase College, where Schwarz presides.

SUNY, with more than 427,000 students, is the largest university system in the nation under a single governing board. Zimpher’s leadership will have enormous impact on higher education in the state—and on the communities where these campuses are located and in themselves are economic engines for employment and research.

In the afternoon, at 3 p.m., state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli will be here in our White Plains offices. He is the  chief fiscal officer for the state, with huge responsibilities, including managing the state’s pension fund; auditing the spending practices of all state agencies and local governments; and overseeing the New York State and Local Retirement System, which serves more than 1 million members and retirees.

DiNapoli, who holds an elected position, recently shared the gloomy news that the state pension fund lost 26 percent of its assets as of March 31, falling to $109.9 billion. The implications? State and local governments will need to make up the difference. Their contribution rate to the fund will need to jump to about 11 percent, up from 7.5 percent, by 2011, according to his office.

And who is on tap for that? Taxpayers, who here in New York have the highest combined state and local tax burden is highest in the nation. We’re sure that will be the main topic of interest for us, and viewers and readers.

Join us.