HVCC Aspires To Expand Campus To Albany

By Evan Bonesteel, Sports Photographer / Staff Writer

Hudson Valley West campus’ takeover of the Albany Lincoln Tower residence is coming to fruition, however it isn’t likely we’ll see much of the campus in the near future. 

The idea for Hudson Valley West, presented to HVCC by Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, was intended to work with Hudson Valley to expand access to educational opportunities. This would allow the extended campus to see various classes and space being created to meet community needs, as well as a possible expansion of the Educational Opportunity Center. This would be a second location to the EOC in Troy that offers education and training to prepare students for various jobs or to pursue other educational opportunities.

This expansion wouldn’t be a first for Hudson Valley, having operated locations outside of the main campus. HVCC has worked to establish an aviation maintenance program at Albany Airport, a program that is to have 12,000 square feet of classrooms to train aircraft mechanics to meet growing needs in the airline industry. HVCC also operates a campus called HVCC North in Malta. This campus has started on a 14,500 square foot expansion to facilitate STEM programs as well as allocated funding to renovate the existing structures that contain the school’s TEC-SMART facilities. 

The city of Albany is pursuing a Restore New York grant to demolish the aging complex at Lincoln Square homes. The towers were rehabilitated back in the 1980s but would not be receiving funding to be rehabilitated again. This is one idea of many that could be a possible use for the land should Albany receive the grant. The plans for this collaboration between the City of Albany and Hudson Valley Community College, while prospective, are still in their infancy. Any possibility of a campus at this location would be subject to the Albany Housing Authority’s decisions on how to use the area. The project’s possibilities if they were to move forward would be subject to changes and alterations through meetings with community members to consider the needs of the community.

Hudson Valley’s plans contain many possibilities for future improvements to meet the needs of the community and students. Another possibility for expansion would be on the HVCC’s main campus in the form of the ATEC (Applied Technology Education Center). This facility would be built to train a workforce in various jobs such as electricians, HVAC technicians, welders, plumbers and more. The intent would expand current programs that are often filled leaving students waiting to be admitted. 

These possibilities are to fulfill the college’s goals of maximizing the opportunities to their students of the Albany and Rensselaer counties, as well as providing those students with an education that meets the real-world needs of industries and enabling future growth.