Reimagining SUNY Ulster: Shaping Our Future Together

I believe that the Reimagining SUNY Ulster Committee should consider the development of a dedicated, flexible Conference and Workforce Innovation Center at the Stone Ridge campus. I am sharing this feedback as a community member and professional learning provider in the educational technology space. While my perspectives are informed by my work in the Educator Edge division at Ulster BOCES, I'm writing as an individual and not as an official spokesperson for the organization.

Currently, Ulster County lacks an economically feasible, purpose-built space for large-scale professional learning and educational conferences. While private industry hotels and more formal event spaces exist in the county, they are often cost-prohibitive for educational non-profits, educational organizations, and school districts, and their environments are typically better suited for private industry rather than educational or public interests. While Career Academies at iPark 87 is a solid facility for career and technical education, and there have already been several public-facing events that allow for informal networking and demonstration of the incredible work happening there, the spaces are purpose-built for specialized labs and equipment and thus aren't designed for the specific needs of a conference, such as varied breakout rooms, flexible dining, and large-scale vendor or mobile classroom demonstrations.

Per the master plan, the Stone Ridge campus currently has a space surplus of approximately 93,000 square feet. By repurposing a portion of this "unneeded" square footage for an event space, the College can create a premier hub for the region's educational and public interest groups to convene, demonstrate, and collaborate on solutions to some of the most significant needs of our time. Rather than maintaining underutilized classrooms, converting this space into a dedicated conference facility allows for the "right-sizing" of the campus while creating a high-value community asset that is still in line with the vision of SUNY Ulster as an educational and community hub.

This center would not be an all-purpose venue for private industry. Instead, it would serve as a flexible home for Ulster County government, local school districts, Ulster BOCES, and professional educational organizations, all of which currently struggle to find local spaces that are both functional and affordable to do the incredible work that neighboring regions are able to do. By designing a space specifically for this purpose, the College can simplify the facility rental process. Moving away from the current model of retrofitting academic spaces for one-off events would reduce administrative "red tape" and make the facility more economically accessible for our county's educational and government partners.

I didn't live around here until 1983, but appreciate the college and this initiative. I am not as aware of projects, but believe some of this reimmagining makes sense. I thought the idea of protecting the lands around the college for some sort of environmental science/ protections for the college would be beneficial. The woods adjacent to the school are supposedly habitats for many plant and animal species, plus they are impacted by adverse affects of invasive species. The property should be used for science and not develoed for parking, etc one would hour

These are some excellent ideas, really well thought out and most of all, ambitious! But speaking as a current student, the conversation feels like it’s skipping over the most basic, day‑to‑day barriers that “limit” access to the Stone Ridge campus.

The biggest hurdle is transportation. We can’t even get the U‑CAT schedule to line up with when classes actually start and end. That keeps the campus out of reach for students who don’t have cars and would prefer in‑person instruction. The buses arrive on campus right as class is ending and, trust me, they leave in no time, leaving many students stranded — sometimes for up to 3 hours during the day. I’ve raised this before at the college level and was told there are many hurdles, but that’s exactly the point: before we talk about building new hubs and centers, we should stop limiting access to the campus we already have.

Students also constantly talk about how the physical environment feels. Some classrooms feel oppressive and the temperature swings wildly depending on the wing you’re in. It’s a running joke between students and faculty alike. Fixing the basics — heating, cooling, lighting, airflow — would make a bigger difference to student experience than any new construction mentioned. Also, a coat of paint wouldn’t hurt anyone.

The campus aesthetic matters too. The soccer field looks neglected, yet barely used. The gardens that do exist go unnoticed. I only know because we did an Environmental Science class there. A little intentional landscaping, some flowers, really just giving the maintenance staff something to actually upkeep would go a long way toward making the campus feel alive instead of a place one is sentenced to be until they get the chance to go somewhere better.

Finally, the cafeteria. The staff is amazing, but there is only so much they can do with the “food” they are given. Are you all familiar with gas station food? No — that’s not even accurate. Some gas stations do it better. The space itself is also in poor condition. Improving the food and the environment would immediately change how students feel about being on campus.

If we focused on improving what we already have — transportation access, classroom conditions, campus appearance, and food quality — and then showcased those improvements online, in those glossy pamphlets, and on the U‑CAT buses that don’t actually service our campus in a meaningful way, SUNY Ulster could shift from feeling like a last‑resort option to a place people genuinely want to be. And that type of positive experience can become a tradition, carrying on across generations. I have more ideas on how to fix up what we already have, but you get the point…

I am a life-long resident, SUCCC alumni, County Caseworker for CPS-Preventive, veteran, YMCA member, and River of Life Church member. THIS IS (my plan for) WHAT WE SHOULD DO:
(93,000 NASF)
1. Transitional Housing Hub (22,000 sq ft) — Converted dorm/office wings into 18–24 month transitional units with on-site case management. Not emergency shelter — a stable bridge. Residents are directly connected to the workforce training program next door.
2. Social Services Relief Center (18,000 sq ft) — Shared office suites for city/county agencies, a mental health clinic, and a BSW/MSW practicum hub. This relieves caseload pressure on overworked social workers and trains the next generation simultaneously.
3. Workforce Training Center (28,000 sq ft) — The engine of the plan. Short-cycle certificates (6–12 weeks), employer-in-residence recruiting, evening resume labs, and childcare co-ops to remove barriers. Directly feeds employment outcomes for housing residents and community members alike.
4. Community Education Annex (18,000 sq ft) — Evening and weekend GED, ESL, digital literacy, and dual enrollment programs — opening the campus to the broader community without touching daytime academics.

***What makes this work as a system: each population serves the others. Housing residents get job training access. Job trainees get social work supports. Social work students get real practicum hours. Adult learners get a pathway into credit programs. The campus becomes a neighborhood institution, not just a building.

Financial Resources:
HUD - CoC funding toward transitional housing
WIOA - is stable and is solid ground to stand on.
Workforce Pell - goes live July 1, 2026. meaning students in the 6–12 week certificate programs can receive federal financial aid which we all know lowers the subsidy burden on the college.
CDBG - remains funded and can be a powerful resource for the city/county partnership.

PLEASE consider this. It is absolutely build-upon-able and a good foundation.

I attended SUNY Ulster 45 years ago, and have known many people who have benefitted from it's programs since then. I think it's important to keep significant elements of the core campus in good shape, the library, the gymnasium, some food service, the auditorium and athletic fields, in addition to classroom space. For many students, this is the closest thing to a real college experience they will ever have. For others, it provides a chance for students who didn't immediately excel in high school to continue higher education and transfer to a four year college when they are ready. Online and satellite options are wonderful but don't replace having a central college community. My experience in this life is that once certain things are gone, there's no going back. It would be almost impossible to reconstruct this in the future. For example, if the people before us didn't have the foresight and will to build libraries, we surely wouldn't be building them now in our current economic and social climate. Places for learning and community where the general public is welcome in real life are precious. I'm not saying we shouldn't, change, modify and grow, just that we should be very mindful of values that don't always appear on a budgeting balance sheet.