Mohawk Valley's high-tech outlook: Federal funds allocated to boost MVCC tech program

Edward Harris, Observer-Dispatch
·2 min read
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Mohawk Valley Community College has received $2 million from the federal government to help create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor and advanced manufacturing training center to prepare students for high-demand tech jobs in the region, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced Thursday.

The college will use the federal money to purchase industrial-grade workforce training equipment for a soon-to-be-renovated and expanded building on its Utica campus for science and technology programs. Schumer also announced additional funding to bolster Rome’s Airforce Research Lab, commonly known as Rome Lab, and to help grow the Mohawk Valley’s tech center.

“This is just what the doctor ordered,” Schumer said.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced news of major federal funding to help create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor and advanced manufacturing job training center at Mohawk Valley Community College's Utica Campus on Thursday, January 12, 2023.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced news of major federal funding to help create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor and advanced manufacturing job training center at Mohawk Valley Community College's Utica Campus on Thursday, January 12, 2023.

The news comes a month after the SUNY Board of Trustees voted unanimously to reunite the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering with the University at Albany, giving rise to questions about the Mohawk Valley region's high-tech outlook.

Schumer said the hands-on training will prepare students for well-paying jobs in tech fields and keep them in the region after graduation, citing opportunities at Wolfspeed in Marcy and Micron in Syracuse.

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Funding to boost MVCC, Rome Lab, Griffiss

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced news of major federal funding to help create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor and advanced manufacturing job training center at Mohawk Valley Community College's Utica Campus on Thursday, January 12, 2023.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced news of major federal funding to help create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor and advanced manufacturing job training center at Mohawk Valley Community College's Utica Campus on Thursday, January 12, 2023.

Randall J. VanWagoner, MVCC president, said the building renovations, which cost $38 million and are being paid through the county and state, will be completed in 2025.

“This building will transform this campus,” VanWagoner said.

In addition to the funding for MVCC, Schumer also highlighted over $7 million he was also able to secure, in partnership with fellow New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, for high-tech projects at the Rome Lab.

A bit more than half of that funding, $4.2 million, will be used for the construction of High Frequency Antennas for the Newport and Stockbridge Test Annexes, providing a resilient and modernized infrastructure for U.S. Air Force use to satisfy the 2018 National Defense Strategy requirements.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer embraces Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente after announcing news of major federal funding to help create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor and advanced manufacturing job training center at Mohawk Valley Community College's Utica Campus on Thursday, January 12, 2023.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer embraces Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente after announcing news of major federal funding to help create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor and advanced manufacturing job training center at Mohawk Valley Community College's Utica Campus on Thursday, January 12, 2023.

Schumer also secured $3 million for Griffiss Institute’s Smart-X Internet of Things (“IOT”) Living Lab, an open and collaborative environment where vendors and developers can integrate, test, experiment and demonstrate their smart technology capabilities, Schumer’s office said.

“These projects are unique and impactful on their own," said Heather Hage, president and CEO of Griffiss Institute, in a statement. "Their interdependencies, and abilities to collectively advance our region’s diverse innovation economy, will elevate Upstate New York’s position as a national leader for bringing dual-use defense technologies to the American economy.”

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Mohawk Valley's high-tech outlook: Tech education gets $2 million push