Gov. Kathy Hochul marked the completion of a major construction project at St. John’s University in Jamaica last week, celebrating the milestone during her visit to the campus.
Hochul was joined by university officials and local government leaders, including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, on Wednesday, Aug. 14, for a tour of the newly renovated St. Vincent Health Sciences Center and the university’s basketball facility.
The new health sciences center is slated to open next month, as students arrive on campus to start the fall semester. The energy-efficient facility features active learning classrooms, laboratories, simulation facilities and outdoor terraces.
St. John’s received $5 million in state funding in 2021 through the Higher Education Capital Grant Program (HeCap) and $700,000 in State Regional Economic Development Council Funding to build the health sciences center.
Hochul met student-athletes and shot some hoops at the soon-to-be renovated Taffner Fieldhouse. The Taffner project is part of $3 million HeCap funding to support the construction of a new basketball practice facility. The project will be developed in conjunction with the renovation of the existing Taffner Field House. The basketball facility will serve as an everyday practice center for the Red Storm’s men’s and women’s basketball programs.
Hochul said investments in New York’s colleges and universities will further incentivize students to stay in the state and build a strong workforce.
“With continued investments in New York’s colleges and universities, we’re helping our premier educational institutions remain on the cutting edge of educational opportunities,” she said.
Under Hochul’s leadership, the HECap program has enabled campuses across the state to invest in their infrastructure and equipment while creating construction jobs. Campuses that receive grants are required to invest at least $3 of their funds for every $1 of state funds they receive.
Since 2005, the State of New York has awarded $368.1 million in funding to 307 projects at colleges and universities across New York State through the HECap program. These awards have resulted in a total of $1.10 billion of investments since the beginning of the program.
