Assembly Resolution No. 336

BY: M. of A. Buttenschon

COMMEMORATING the 75th Anniversary of Mohawk
Valley Community College

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend those institutions of true purpose and high achievement whose
exemplary programs and accomplishments clearly demonstrate an enduring
pursuit of excellence in higher education for the youth of this noble
Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Mohawk Valley Community College
(MVCC); and

WHEREAS, In 1946, Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) was
established to provide technical training to New York State residents,
especially veterans returning from World War II; it went on to become
New York State's first community college, the largest college between
Syracuse and Albany, New York, and the region's primary provider of
college education and non-credit training; and

WHEREAS, MVCC was founded as the New York State Institute of Applied
Arts & Sciences in Utica, New York, which was located in the Country Day
School, then located on Genesee Street in New Hartford, New York; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Director Paul B. Richardson, the
Institute initially specialized in retail business management and had a
reported enrollment of 53 students on opening day which was October 14,
1946; more than two-thirds of the first students were veterans and
tuition was free for New York residents; and

WHEREAS, In its early days, MVCC adapted its programs to fit the
needs of area industries, allowing students to have a significant and
immediate impact on the area; the textile program gave students the
ability to aid in solving some problems plaguing factories in the
Northeast, and when they started shutting down and
electrical/metal-working companies began to move in, MVCC changed its
curricula to adapt; and

WHEREAS, With this curriculum, MVCC was able to train students to
perform in a variety of manufacturing activities from drafting and
design to quality control, and develop the manual skills needed in such
industries; in 1948, a second location was opened in the former Utica
Steam Cotton Mill and housed programs in mechanical, electrical, and
textile technology; and

WHEREAS, Two years later, the Institute became a part of the State
University System and the name was changed to the State University of
Applied Arts & Sciences at Utica; and

WHEREAS, In 1952, New York State developed the community college
plan under which the institutes could remain open only if a local

sponsor took responsibility for them and they were converted to
community colleges; and

WHEREAS, In 1953, the Institute became Mohawk Valley Technical
Institute, a community college sponsored by Oneida County, and Albert
Payne was appointed as the Institute's first chief administrator with
the title of President; and

WHEREAS, Over the next decade, the number and variety of
instructional programs continued to grow, including several in
non-technical areas; in 1963, the Institute was renamed Mohawk Valley
Community College to reflect this shift in emphasis; and

WHEREAS, The main campus on Sherman Drive opened in 1960, and was
designed by famed architect Edward Durell Stone; initial construction
included the academic building, physical education building and college
center, all of which have been extensively renovated and expanded over
the years; and

WHEREAS, In 1966, MVCC built its first four residence halls, making
it the first New York community college with on-campus housing, and
added a fifth in 2005; in 1969, Payne Hall was added, a science and
technology building in 1989, and the Information Technology/Performing
Arts/Conference Center in 2001; and

WHEREAS, At the request of the Air Force, the college began
instruction at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York, in the early
1950s; some classes were held on base and others at Staley Junior High
School; the present Rome branch campus opened in 1974, in a portion of
the former Oneida County Hospital on Floyd Avenue, and the Plumley
Complex was added to the Rome campus in 1991; and

WHEREAS, By 1978, MVCC was generating more than $34 million in
business volume annually in Oneida County, and providing the equivalent
of 2,249 full-time jobs; and

WHEREAS, In 2006, MVCC's Airframe and Powerplant Technology
certificate program began in the Griffiss Business and Technology Park
in Rome, and is the only community college-based aviation maintenance
program in New York and one of only a few one-year programs in the
country; and

WHEREAS, In 2011, the 112,000-square-foot Robert R. Jorgensen,
Athletic/Events Center, named in honor of the school's long-time
Athletic Director and Professor Emeritus, was opened on the Utica campus
and features a 6,000-square-foot fitness center, a field house with the
capacity to host 3,000 people, and many other amenities including three
basketball/volleyball/tennis courts and an indoor tenth-of-a-mile track;
and

WHEREAS, In 2017, a $30 million renovation to the Rome campus was
completed in collaboration with Oneida County and New York State; and

WHEREAS, From 2009-2012, MVCC enrollment grew 25 percent, and 2014
enrollment is 5,277 FTEs (full-time equivalent students); the average
age of the students is 25.6, 21 percent are minority students, and 76
percent live in Oneida County; and

WHEREAS, Today, MVCC is served by 142 full-time and 260 part-time
faculty members, and the full-time staff totals 303, with an additional
170 part-time staff; and

WHEREAS, Each year, MVCC's campuses host more than 150 community
events, ranging from committee meetings to the Boilermaker Expo, which
draws more than 35,000 people to the Utica campus; faculty, staff, and
students also participate in a variety of events, including the Alex
Kogut Run/Walk, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, AHA Heart
Run/Walk, Veteran's Center Food Drive, and many others; and

WHEREAS, Under the luminous leadership of President Randall J.
VanWagoner, MVCC plans to further align itself with the progressive
changes in the City of Utica and surrounding areas, including the
arterial project, the City of Utica Master Plan, the launch of the Utica
Comets and the nanotechnology boom focused around SUNY Polytechnic
Institute and Griffiss Air Base; and

WHEREAS, The College's proud tradition of technical and trade
education has positioned it perfectly for the growth in demand for
science, technology, engineering and math degrees, and partnerships with
other colleges in the state are becoming even stronger, allowing
students to more easily transfer to four-year institutions; and

WHEREAS, Steeped in a proud and distinguished history, MVCC may look
back with pride upon its humble beginnings, find just satisfaction in
its purposeful growth and hold true of purpose in its commitment to
serving the educational needs of its students; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Mohawk Valley Community College; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Randall J. VanWagoner, President, Mohawk Valley Community
College.