Hudson Valley Community College has invested time and resources getting in one the ground floor of the new high-tech workforce in Saratoga County, and now the school is looking to fill classrooms at its TEC-SMARTcampus in Malta.
Larry Ellis, adjunct professor of general psychology and associate director of student development within the counseling and transfer department, will be holding academic advisement sessions on Monday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. at TEC-SMART, or Training and Education Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alternative and Renewable Technologies. This isthe college’s satellite educational facility located in NYSERDA’s SaratogaTechnology and Energy Park on Hermes Road in Malta.
The satellite campus is an attractive alternative to taking classes at the college’s main campus in Troy, since it’s located right in theLuther Forest Technology Campus at the heart of the area’s technology growth.
Currently, classes taught at the center include those in liberalarts, humanities, clean technologies and sustainable industries. Additional classes among most curriculum offered by the college are also being considered,as the campus becomes a more convenient location for college students, as wellas for those already in the workforce who want to continue their education.
Penny Hill, Associate Dean at TEC-SMART, said the campus is allabout offering opportunities. Currently there are 16 students taking thesemiconductor class, and a total of 276 students at the campus taking a rangeof classes. Capacity at the campus is available for 400 students.
“Many people may not be aware of the jobs available (in thetechnology fields) and the fact that we offer multiple tracks for students toprepare them for those jobs,” she said.
Hill went on to say a TEC-SMART education can empower the nextgeneration, and the school is in a good position to do so since it is in close proximity to the under-construction Global Foundaries semiconductor plant. Mostof the students are in the workforce already and average age of students is 35.There has been a 50 percent growth in the number of enrolled students sincelast year.
The building itself is nestled into a scenic wooded parcel offof one of the many circles associated with Exit 12 of the Northway. Wood andstone building materials make the site a beautiful campus, and althoughvisitors are greeted by solar panels and wind turbines, it all fits and worksto create a pleasing environment – and a sustainable one.
The center is over 43,000 square feet and is a LEED (Leadershipin Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Building. LEED is internationallyrecognized, and awards certification based on many criteria including energysavings. Platinum is LEED’s highest rating.
The campus is equipped with a 200-seat auditorium, fivetechnology laboratories (including photovoltaic, geothermal, small/large wind, alternative fuels and a semiconductor “simulated clean room”) eight classrooms, a computer classroom and a multipurpose classroom.
One third of the building’s energy is generated via solar andwind energy. Put that together with low-impact plumbing, retention of rain andgroundwater via a rock garden for use as grey water (such as flushing toilets)among other sustainable practices and you’ve got the latest technologies inpractice, as well as being taught in the classroom.
Hill stopped in to see how three high school teachers from Ballston Spa were getting along in one of the classrooms as they planned out coursework for some of their high school juniors taking a solar energies class down the hallway.
Ballston Spa teachers John Ballet, Sarah Grube-Edwards and Matt Glugowski were planning coursework for the remainder of the year with the goal of providing the students with the most effective curriculum.
One of the projects the high school students are working on now, according to Ballet, concerns planning.
“We’re discussing urban planning and the term is ‘new urbanism’as opposed to (urban) sprawl…and how to design our growing towns and municipalities in a way that’s sustainable for the future,” he said.
Grube-Edwards explained that the students had taken a computer aided drafting course in the previous semester, and that skill would be implemented in the new urbanism project.
“They’ll actually be generating a drawing of their chosen city using that skill,” she said.
The overall goal, according to the teachers, is to get those involved in local communities and real-world issues into the center andconnected to students to work on solutions.
Eric Bryant, assistant director of communications and marketingfor the college, said that high school students are able to take up to 20credits at the campus starting in either their junior or senior years. He alsoexpressed optimism when he talked about the center’s ability to cater tocurrent and future workforces in technology.
HVCC as a whole has an enrollment of nearly 14,000 students, andis invested in distance learning initiatives and workforce training. Thec ollege has more than 65,000 alumni.
For more information, or to make an appointment to speak with anacademic advisor, call the college’s Office of Continuing Education, Summer Sessions and Workforce Development at 629-7338.
