Business, education and community officials gathered at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh this afternoon to break ground on a new Institute of Advanced Manufacturing facility.
In September 2014 Clinton Community College received a $12.7 million grant through the SUNY 2020 challenge program to create and build the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing. The new education center is a joint effort between the community college, local manufacturers and Clarkson University.
Interim College President Fred Smith called the groundbreaking an historic moment. “The Advanced Manufacturing Institute is and will be a significant and very important economic force for the North Country. It represents a catalyst for economic growth.”
The two-story, 30,000-square foot facility will be a state of the art training facility for manufacturing jobs. Clinton County Legislature Chair Harry McManus noted that the county has prioritized economic development and partnered with the college on a number of initiatives. He believes this new facility will be a catalyst for future development. “Challenging times are here for all colleges. But this project will help with these challenges because it will become quite bluntly a catalyst for economic growth throughout Clinton County. This project will also allow for much needed synergies between the business sector and the college. This is the beginning of a transition that will allow Clinton Community College to better compete in the higher education marketplace.”
Clarkson University president Tony Collins told the crowd that society has oversold four-year degrees and alternative pathways such as the new institute at Clinton Community College help build a mosaic for success across the North Country. “We're thrilled to be a partner. I want to see graduates in this program come to our graduate programs over in Potsdam and now we have a Schenectady campus. And that would be pathways even further than what you're proposing here today.”
Plattsburgh Mayor James Calnon says the new institute is a critical part of obtaining and retaining business. “I mean it’s really critical to help us keep all the quality manufacturers we have and allow for expansion because there's always an awful lot of flurry when a business locates. Then it's three, four, five years down the road and some of those people that relocated are going to retire. Is there a supply chain for the most essential raw material which is the workers? And that’s what this does. It provides that supply chain. Very critical.
The Institute for Advanced Manufacturing is the first new building to be constructed on the campus since 1998. It’s expected to be finished in August 2017.
