Gift from Hearst Foundation to Benefit Proposed Advanced Manufacturing Center
February 7, 2017
The Hudson Valley Community College Foundation has received a $100,000 grant from the Hearst Foundation as part of its fundraising efforts to support the creation of the college's proposed Gene F. Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing Skills (CAMS).
"We are grateful to the Hearst Foundation for recognizing the importance of this new facility and how it can help the revitalization of manufacturing in New York State," said Hudson Valley Community College President Drew Matonak. "Our resurgent manufacturing base needs skilled workers, and this facility will be the linchpin for creating that workforce."
The Hearst Foundations are national philanthropies that assist organizations working in the fields of education, health, culture and social service. The funds awarded to the college's project will be recognized with the dedicated William Randolph Hearst Laboratory at the Gene F. Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing Skills.
"The Hearst Foundation is pleased to provide funding that will strengthen opportunities for New Yorkers to find training in advanced manufacturing, which is a vital component to the New York State economy," said Alison Yu, program officer with the Hearst Foundation.
The college kicked off fundraising for the CAMS in 2014 with a $1 million commitment from the Gene Haas Foundation. Gene Haas is the founder and president of Haas Automation, Inc., which builds CNC Machine Tools for manufacturing. Haas Automation is a longtime partner of Hudson Valley and provider of the equipment used in training its students. Recognizing the economic development potential and workforce need in the area, New York State responded in December with an additional $1 million grant.
With additional fundraising, including substantial gifts from manufacturers such as General Electric and Simmons Machine Tool Corporation, the college Foundation is moving toward its goal of fully funding the new facility.
The new 37,000 square foot building will expand training opportunities for students in the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) degree program and allow the college to double the program's enrollment, while developing a new program to fill additional technical jobs in management, sales, marketing and procurement.
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Founded in 1953, Hudson Valley Community College offers more than 85 degree and certificate programs in four schools: Business; Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Science; and Liberal Arts and Sciences; and an Educational Opportunity Center for academic and career training. One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, it has an enrollment of nearly 11,500 students, and is known as a leader in distance learning initiatives and workforce training. Hudson Valley has more than 75,000 alumni.