City colleges throughout Queens are getting some “A-plus” improvements over the next few years.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz announced that she has allocated $3.64 million of her fiscal year 2017 discretionary capital funds to help four CUNY colleges in Queens grow.
The students at Queens College in Flushing, York College in Jamaica, Queensborough Community College in Bayside and LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC) in Long Island City will all be benefiting from the projects that will come from these funds.
“As the third-largest university system in the United States, CUNY offers a high-quality and remarkably affordable and competitive higher education that enables the pursuit of the American Dream,” Katz said. “CUNY has been a critical door to opportunities for millions of New Yorkers and their families, and here in Queens we’re proud to be home to some of the best of CUNY schools. This multimillion-dollar allocation of public funding is a direct investment into the public colleges of our borough so that CUNY remains able to meet the educational needs of its hard-working students.”
$1 million will be given to Queens College to fully fund the construction of recording studios for their new music and production certificate program.
The program will provide multi-use facilities for classrooms, rehearsal and performance spaces as well as laboratories. The project will provide the proper acoustical components, sound absorbers, diffusers and ceiling elements, creating spaces conducive to live musical performances and high-quality audio recordings. The studios will be perfect for distance learning applications and webcasting for music students and the college community as a whole. The anticipated completion date is January 2019.
$1 million will go towards the construction of the Center for Career and Employment Training at LAGCC. The center will serve all of the students and allow them to connect to a wide network of employers and have access to real-time labor market data. The center will also offer advisement and training that will lead to employment in high-demand and growing job sectors in New York. The total projected cost of the project is $6 million, with a possible $2 million from the New York City Council and $3 million from New York State. Design is set to begin in July 2017, with construction beginning in January 2018 with the anticipated completion date of August 2018.
$1 million will go toward creating a modern kitchen and dining hall at Queensborough Community College that will replace the school’s undersized basement dining hall. The allocation is toward the balance of city funding needed for Phase 2 based on current estimates, with a possible $1 million from New York State. Anticipated completion date is March 2019.
$640,000 is earmarked for renovating the greenhouse at York College.
“Queens Borough President Katz had provided critical and generous funding for CUNY projects that will enhance program quality, student experience and college value at Queens, York, LaGuardia and Queensborough Community Colleges,” said CUNY Chancellor James B. Milliken. “I deeply appreciate her commitment to CUNY, which has such a positive impact on the borough and city.”
