GARDEN CITY – Nassau Community College, a campus of the State University of New York, has opened a $31 million high-tech academic building that will equip students for rapidly growing careers in Science-Technology-Engineering-Math (STEM) and virtual and hybrid workplaces.
The three-story building, spanning 61,900 square feet, contains the latest educational technology, STEM laboratories, climate-friendly green roofs and solar panels, and general learning spaces, accommodating more than 2,200 students per day. Nearly 90% of Nassau students will take at least one course in Cluster C before graduating.
“At Nassau, we pride ourselves on making education and technology more accessible to all students,” said Dr. Maria Conzatti, chief administrative officer of Nassau Community College and 1986 graduate of the Garden City campus. “Modern facilities thoughtfully designed to support hands-on learning and innovation will foster our ability to shape the Long Island workforce.”
The building, known as Cluster C, was constructed in the 1970s. Remodeling began in 2018 but was interrupted by the global pandemic. Funding for the $31 million project was provided by Nassau County with 50% matching funds from New York State.
The building, designed by NV5 architects and constructed by Jacobs and VRD Contracting, Inc., is equipped with 10 classrooms, 12 laboratories, faculty offices, and a planetarium.
A distinguishing feature of the building are “outdoor classrooms,” which include an observatory with telescopes, as part of the college’s astronomy program, as well as two green roofs, solar panels and a mini wind turbine for environmental and climate studies. The building features small seminar rooms to encourage student/faculty interaction and group projects. Each floor provides a common space for NCC students with comfortable sofas and tables.
Nassau Community College offers more than 80 degrees and certificates in a wide range of professions. Cluster C can accommodate programs in computer science, computer information systems, information technology, mathematics, cybersecurity, civil engineering technology, computer repair technology, construction management, electrical engineering technology, engineering science, and physics, among others. Classes in the liberal arts also will utilize the state-of-the-art learning facility. The college is participating in two National Science Foundation grants to support STEM studies for high school and college students.
The Cluster C building has been selected as the model for future renovations of the college’s other Cluster-type academic buildings, which were all constructed around the same time period at the college, in the 1970s, said Phillip Cappello, associate vice president of facilities management. The college is planning to renovate Cluster D, the neighboring building to Cluster C, to accommodate new programs in trades education, including workforce development credentials in welding, electrical systems, and heating-ventilation-and-air-conditioning (HVAC).
