CAMS Nets $2.9 million Grant from NYS Economic Development Funding Announced by Gov. Cuomo
December 14, 2017
Hudson Valley Community College moved a step closer to reaching its funding goal for the new Gene F. Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing Skills (CAMS) thanks to a funding announcement by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
The college learned on Wednesday that a $2.9 million grant request submitted through the Empire State Development Corporation was part of the New York State Regional Economic Development Council awards announced by Governor Cuomo.
The grant will help fund the building's construction and the purchase of machinery and equipment. CAMS is envisioned as a one-stop manufacturing technology center that will train students on the latest machine tools, equipment, tooling and software for employment with manufacturers in the Capital Region.
The project is anticipated to double the number of students enrolled in the college's Advanced Manufacturing Technology degree program, from 144 to 288.
The effort to secure private and public philanthropic support to makes CAMS a reality has been going on for nearly two years and has been spearheaded by a dedicated committee of faculty, staff and college supporters, including: faculty member Dave Larkin, Foundation Executive Director Regina LaGatta, as well as Foundation staff, and CAMS Campaign Committee co-chairs, Dave Davis, president and COO of Simmons Machine Tool Corporation, and Marty McGill, vice president of Allendale Machinery Systems.
Governor Cuomo announced that more than $755 million in economic and community development funding across the state has been awarded through Round VII of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. Capital Region projects were awarded a total of $85 million in grants and tax credits for dozens of projects around the region.
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.