The State University of New York at Binghamton's $70 million expansion as part of a new program to bolster the university centers statewide has started.
In April, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and university officials announced the Smart Energy Center at Binghamton, designed to move the center forward in the growing field and create jobs and spinoff businesses for the Southern Tier.
Other major university centers in Buffalo, Stony Brook and Albany are in line for similar expansions of specialty areas using a pool of mostly existing capital funding and tuition increases.
The New York SUNY 2020 challenge combines construction money and other capital as well as tuition increases with the goal of moving SUNY centers to top national academic circles.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
