SUNY's Strategic Plan in Action; Establishing New York's Clean Energy Economy

Creating an Energy-Smart New York One of Six Big Ideas in SUNY Strategic Plan

Final Strategic Plan Implementation Session Today in Albany

Albany – Led by Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher, more than 300 scholars, experts, and stakeholders representing a variety of fields from across the state gathered in Albany today to kick off the final phase of implementation of the State University of New York’s strategic plan. One of the six Big Ideas in the plan – Energy-Smart New York – aims to position the 64-campus system as a key developer of innovative green technologies and create a newly trained New York-based workforce for the emerging clean energy economy.

“SUNY touches every community in New York, and we are one of this state’s greatest assets. Our strategic plan – The Power of SUNY – and all of the work being done today are about harnessing the unlimited potential of our 64 campuses and making them work for New York,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “As part of our strategic plan, SUNY has embraced our natural role as a source for research and innovation, and we are leveraging it to break new ground in clean energy technology and prepare the workforce that will lead New York’s new economy. We are turning words and ideas into action and jobs – this is the very essence of The Power of SUNY.”

Cornelius B. Murphy Jr., the president of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the co-chair of SUNY’s Energy-Smart New York team, said: “Our work here, and the accomplishments so far, are steps in transforming New York into an economic engine and a sustainability model for the rest of the nation. As SUNY leads by example and we practice what we teach, the power of SUNY demonstrates our ability to make a difference not only on our own campuses, but throughout the state.”

SUNY’s strategic plan focuses not only on clean energy but also “cradle-to-career” education, globalization, diversity, research and innovation, health and wellness, and the impact SUNY students, faculty, and staff can have on building stronger communities. The broad coalition gathered in Albany today is working to fulfill SUNY's promise to lead New York’s economic recovery and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

Today’s convening includes members of SUNY’s Innovation and Transformation Teams – some of New York’s best and brightest in their fields who are representative of SUNY’s vast institutional diversity and geographic reach. The teams are one of the central implementation mechanisms for The Power of SUNY. The all-day session divides attendees into 13 working groups that are  charged with the solicitation, creation, vetting, and recommendation of specific program proposals that will advance strategic plan initiatives.

With guidance from the strategic plan implementation, SUNY has positioned itself as a national leader in facilitating the development of the clean energy economy. Recent developments include:

·         Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a $57.5 million grant for the University at Albany’s NanoCollege – in partnership with SEMATECH and the University of Central Florida – to create a new photovoltaic manufacturing consortium.

·         SUNY Ulster announced on Thursday its intention to install two pole-mounted photovoltaic systems on its Stone Ridge campus this spring, which students will help to install.

·         Hudson Valley Community College recently opened TEC-SMART – Training and Education Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alternative and Renewable Technologies – which features more than a dozen state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories to train students to work in the fields of semiconductor manufacturing of green technologies.

University at Albany President George M. Philip said: "I commend the leadership of UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in securing the necessary resources to establish the new photovoltaic research consortium.  This  positions the University at Albany and SUNY to lead in the development of clean energy technologies, thereby creating jobs and driving the innovation economy in New York State.”

Christopher Marx, director of continuing and professional education at SUNY Ulster, said: “These solar panels will act as a job-training tool and a resource for scientific research, experimentation, and data compilation – and are even designed to be dismantled and reassembled for students to train in the installation of these systems. We see this as a real-life implementation of The Power of SUNY, harnessing one investment to both create jobs and discover new technologies.”

Hudson Valley Community College President Andrew J. Matonak said: “Here at Hudson Valley Community College, for nearly 60 years, we have anticipated the needs of the marketplace to develop partnerships and academic programs to meet demand. We’re a major part of the Capital Region economy and a proud partner in Chancellor Zimpher’s vision, The Power of SUNY.” 

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 467,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with more than 3 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu 

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