Schenectady County Community College has outgrown its name and is making preparations to establish a satellite campus in downtown Albany.
Three years after discussions began, SCCC announced Friday, Jan. 18, its footprint is expanding into the county’s building at 112 State Street in Albany. The college is renovating nearly 10,000 square feet of former Albany County offices on the second floor for classrooms and will lease the space from the county. Around 1,000 students are expected to attend classes there in the fall semester.
“People are always surprised when they learn that Albany County doesn’t have a community college, because there are so many colleges here,” said Denise Murphy McGraw, chairwoman of the college’s Board of Trustees. “I am so proud and so honored to be here today to be a part of the next chapter of higher education in the Capital Region.”
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy touted the partnership as filling an educational void in the county.
“We have all these great universities in Albany County, but we never really addressed the community college,” McCoy said. “We are giving an opportunity to the children of Albany County to move to that next level.”
Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings said he understands the importance of community colleges firsthand because he couldn’t afford to attend a four-year college.
“Anyone that wants to continue their education, they should be able to,” Jennings said.
He thanked for Bullock for being “aggressive” in growing the community college and making it available to people outside of Schenectady County. He also thanked McCoy for providing the location.
“This is long overdue and I have got to thank Dan McCoy for making this happen in this building, even though it is not taxable,” Jennings said. “Forget the taxes, I see the value of this.”
SCCC President Quintin Bullock said renovation costs are still being calculated and the college is working on a lease agreement with the county. College officials didn’t provide an estimate for either expense.
“We are still working through those final details … we will look at all avenues that we can use to support this effort,” Bullock said.
The Albany campus will offer general education courses for students beginning coursework, with specific offerings still being planned. Bullock said new programs could be offered in Albany, too, but didn’t give specifics. SCCC has some new courses being reviewed by SUNY officials, he said.
In addition to classrooms, the Albany satellite campus is to include common areas, faculty offices and advisement, according to McGraw.
“It is the first step in creating a formal extension center in Albany County,” Bullock said. “We envision SCCC’s Albany location to be similar in design and scope to our Center City location, offering students more academic and geographic flexibility in achieving their dreams and coursework for a college certificate or degree.”
There is room for further expansion on other vacant floors of the building, too, but Bullock was tight lipped on the prospect. Bullock said the college is working on its facilities master plan to chart the next 10 years.
“It is our vision to be an accessible community college where we embrace students learning and celebrate their success, as well as being responsive to the needs of our workforce community,” he said.
Local lawmakers praised the partnership as an example of how municipalities should think regionally.
“At a time in local government when we are all facing challenges, this is just another great example of how we can work together — not just locally, but regionally — to maximize our community assets,” said Schenectady County Legislature Chairwoman Judy Dagostino.
Success in Albany would benefit Schenectady County as well, since Albany campus students would be likely to attend classes on SCCC’s main campus as they continue their studies.
Both counties are seen as benefiting from a chargeback agreement, which lays out what a county pays for a resident attending a community college in a different county. SCCC sees it as a new revenue source and Albany County would pay less than it does for students attending Hudson Valley Community College.
Schenectady County is budgeted to pay $2 million in chargeback fees this year. The fee is determined by the state.
SCCC’s expansion announcement also came shortly after college officials estimated a 1.5 percent enrollment increase. At more than 7,000 students, college officials said enrollment is at a “favorable” level due to expansion efforts, such as its new student housing and music building.
Students attending classes in Albany will be able to park at the Times Union Center’s parking garage for free. SCCC students could also ride CDTA busses for free through an agreement with the college. The service is subsidized through the college’s student activity fee.
“We have plenty of parking … but we are not going to need it because we are going to be riding CDTA, going green,” McCoy said.
There is a CDTA bus station near the Albany location and local officials estimated it would take about 25 minutes to travel between the two campuses, with a direct line between it.
At the close of the press conference, McGraw “branded” McCoy by handing him one of the college’s T-shirts.
“We are very proud of our Schenectady County Community College brand, so we are going to brand him today,” McGraw said.
“Hopefully it fits,” McCoy replied with a smile.