SUNY to establish College of Nanoscale Science as separate institution

State University of New York (SUNY) chancellor Nancy Zimpher announced that the “pioneering” College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Albany will become a separate institution within the SUNY system by the 2014-2015 academic year.

The SUNY board of trustees approved a resolution authorizing Zimpher to separate CSNE from the University at Albany (UAlbany) and begin work on a new degree-granting structure to include CNSE, SUNY said.

The board action follows the unanimous recommendation of the chancellor’s advisory group on the future of CNSE, which included members of the board of trustees, SUNY administration, UAlbany, CNSE, and the governor’s office, SUNY said.

The establishment of SUNY CNSE will “further cement New York’s position as a global center for nanotechnology innovation, high-tech industry and research, and unmatched educational opportunities,” the state university said in a news release.

UAlbany deserves “enormous” credit for incubating the growth of CNSE into the “groundbreaking” research and innovation center it has become, Zimpher said in the news release.

“Because of CNSE’s success, importance to SUNY and New York state, and its unique statewide economic-development mission, this is a natural progression in its evolution. It is also a tremendous opportunity for UAlbany to build on its experience with CNSE and the start of a new era of reinvestment and focus for the campus. Today, we begin the thoughtful and deliberative work that is required for an undertaking of this magnitude and many details will need to be addressed as we move forward. I am confident that we are on the precipice of creating something that is new, exciting, statewide in its scope, and the first of its kind in public higher education,” Zimpher said.

Zimpher’s immediate next steps include the establishment of a “mutually beneficial” memorandum of understanding between UAlbany and CNSE, and empanelling an “Implementation Team” of experts from SUNY Administration, the Research Foundation for SUNY, CNSE, and UAlbany to address issues such as mission, governance, academics, strategic partnerships, innovation, and shared services, SUNY said.

Gov. Cuomo in 2011 announced that New York had entered into agreements providing for investments valued at a total of $4.4 billion from five leading international companies to create the next generation of computer-chip technology at CNSE through the Global 450 Consortium, SUNY said.

CNSE is “one of the leading economic drivers in the state and its curriculum and students are on par or superior to any of the top technology institutions in the nation,” SUNY said.

CNSE in Albany is currently home to $14 billion in private-sector investment and it has created more than 3,000 jobs in the Capital Region and across upstate New York.

CNSE is a co-founder of the Nanotechnology Innovation and Commercialization Excelerator in Syracuse. It also co-founded and manages operations at the Computer Chip Commercialization Center at the Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) in Marcy, according to the CNSE’s website.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com