Utica College seeks federal funding for construction-management program building

UTICA, N.Y. — Utica College is hoping to secure federal funding to build a new training center for its “growing” construction-management major.

The college has raised $2.8 million in private and state funds, but the total project is expected to cost $4.1 million, the office of U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) said in a news release issued Monday.

Both Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) are supporting Utica College’s application to the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) to “fill the funding gap.”

Schumer visited Utica College on Monday to express his support of its pursuit of the EDA funding.

To date, Utica College has raised $2.1 million from gifts and pledges, including a $1 million donation from 1968 graduate Gary Thurston, chairman and CEO of the Syracuse–based Hayner Hoyt Corporation. The college has also secured a $700,000 grant from New York State through the Mohawk Valley’s Regional Economic Development Council.

“With the supply of construction-industry jobs expected to grow over the next several years, Utica College’s construction management program aims to meet that demand by equipping students with the tools they need to be successful in the future. But with enrollment in the program expected to rapidly grow, Utica College needs additional space and upgraded technology to properly train students,” Schumer said in the release. “That is why I am asking the Economic Development Administration to ‘put cash on the nail’ and approve this investment so Utica College’s Construction Management Training Center can become a reality.”

Project details

Utica College plans to build a new, “technologically-advanced” facility on its campus because the program “has outgrown its facilities,” Schumer’s office said.

The school’s construction-management program is “training the next generation of workers to meet a growing need in the construction industry both locally and nationally,” per the release.

Construction management is described as one of Utica College’s “fastest growing” degree programs.

In response to this growth, the college plans to construct a 15,000-square-foot, two-story academic building to house the construction-management program. The facility will be equipped with a new materials laboratory on the ground floor that will include an open-bay design with overhead door, materials-testing equipment, workspace for mock construction projects, and instructional-support technology.

The second floor will include two new computer laboratories with work stations configured for “industry-standard,” building information modeling (BIM) software.

It will also include a multi-use auditorium, “high-tech smart” classrooms, and a design that will allow for future expansion, Schumer’s office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com