SUNY Maritime to Build New Seamanship Center

BRONX, NY - State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) announced a $1.5 million dollar state grant he secured that will go toward the building of a new state-of-the art Seamanship Center at SUNY Maritime. The exciting announcement came as hundreds of students arrived back at Maritime from the summer sea term session on the training ship Empire State VI on Monday morning.

The Seamanship Center will be constructed on existing available area on the basin, specifically on the deepwater college pier. The new center will include nearly 4,000 square feet of classroom space to support the Marine Transportation curriculum. In addition the space is expected to serve as an in-service training location for active mariners - including members of the NYPD and FDNY.

“SUNY Maritime, with its strong and rigorous curriculum and hands-on training, provides students with an unparalleled advanced education giving them all the tools they need for a successful and adventurous career in the maritime industry. This Seamanship Center will enhance and expand the terrific education our students are already receiving as they prepare to become the mariners of tomorrow, while at the same time offer a fantastic new facility for our first responders in the NYPD and FDNY to conduct essential training exercises,” said State Senator Jeff Klein.

“On behalf of the Maritime College community, I want to express our gratitude to Senator Klein for his efforts in ensuring that $1.5 million for a Seamanship Center was included in SUNY’s appropriation in the 2014/2015 state budget,” said President Michael A. Alfultis. “Thanks to Senator Klein, Maritime students, New York City-area first responders, and young people within our Bronx community, will soon enjoy the benefits of a Seamanship Center,” President Alfultis added.

The center will serve as a much needed addition to the existing SUNY campus facilities and support projected student enrollment growth, the expansion of waterfront academic programs, and an increasing demand for enhanced training space for civilian mariners and City agencies. The new facility will be elevated above the existing college pier and not impact or impede on campus green space.

SUNY currently has waterfront facilities that support recreation, athletic and academic programs located around a 180,000-foot basin on the leeward side of the peninsula in the East River. SUNY Maritime College, a four-year college located at historic Fort Schuyler in Throggs Neck, New York, is a leading academic institution at the forefront of the national and global maritime industry and provides an advanced, specialized marine education. SUNY maritime alumni proudly serve as the leaders and licensed mariners that continue to be the key drivers in New York’s maritime economy.

In addition to serving nearly 1,800 students, the project is expected to create construction jobs in the Bronx.

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