As Long Island’s economy evolves and grows in the science and technological fields, Farmingdale State College is key to that evolution. With a new state-of-the-art Computer Science and Technology building on the horizon, the College’s prominence on the state and the national economic scene is on the rise.
While Long Island was once synonymous with the aerospace industry, computer technology and other industries are exploding, and FSC could not be better positioned for this boom.
New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on November 29 that FSC was receiving $75 million for a 40,000-square-foot Center for Computer Science and Information Technology, which will consolidate multiple departments on the campus and allow for new fields of study. A College official described the size of the award as “significant” in the history of the College.
The funding includes $30 million from the Long Island Investment Fund (LIIF) and $45 million from the SUNY Construction Fund. Hochul called the grant an investment in “skills training in the jobs of the future.”
“I’m elated,” FSC President Dr. John S. Nader said after the announcement. “The state has recognized us for all of the things going on at Farmingdale and what we plan to do and this is a vote of confidence.”
The benefits to the College, community, and Long Island and state workforces are huge. “Congratulations to everyone here who cares about the future of Long Island,” said Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone. “This is a broad and deep vision of what this region could be.” Technology jobs on Long Island grew by 17.4 percent between 2015 and 2019, according to a report from Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE), and the sector remains hot.
The new building at FSC will provide a state-of-the-art facility supporting high-quality academic programming, which will further attract students, faculty, and industry partners, according to Dr. Laura Joseph, Senior Vice President and Provost for the FSC Office of Academic Affairs. “It will provide the necessary space to further develop the synergistic relationships we have established between our academic programs and industry partners,” added Joseph. “It is envisioned that the enhanced collaborations will generate project-based learning opportunities that will have long-lasting benefits for our students, while meeting industry needs and further developing the skills of our graduates.”
The state views Long Island as fertile ground for the continued growth of a more technology-intensive economy. “Long Island is where the future's really being imagined,” Hochul said during the announcement of the grants at LIU. “I mean, this is so exciting to me. We have not just the smartest people, but the greatest facilities, and the infrastructure that'll continue to lead the nation. Not just lead our state, but lead the nation.”
The Center at FSC will house the College’s Division of Computing, which will integrate closely-related programs, including Computer Programming and Information Systems, Computer Science, Computer Security Technology, Geographic Information Systems, and the College’s graduate program in Technology Management. The College is also proposing an online degree in Artificial Intelligence Management, which would involve machine learning and business. FSC’s computer-related majors produced more than 500 graduates last year.
According to Joseph, the new building will be home to a number of programs with increasing enrollment projections in Computer Science that will be at or above other SUNY institutions.
“Farmingdale expects that this program-area (Computer Technology) focus is needed on Long Island and will continue to attract students, with the potential to double program enrollment over the next couple of years,” Joseph added.
The planned building positions FSC well for a role in future economic growth, said Dr. Jill A. O'Sullivan, a Professor in the Computer Systems department. Students certainly would benefit from additional “industry-focused” labs and the new facilities and equipment provide the potential for that.
“This is just one more way to give options to the smartest people who probably started on Long Island, but in case they live somewhere else, they're going to want to come here and be part of this whole ecosystem,” noted Hochul.
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