Daemen College in Amherst is receiving a nearly half-a-million dollar state grant to create a new Graduate Studies Technology Center.
New York State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer appeared at Daemen Monday for a news conference to announce that he secured the funding.
“Today marks the beginning of a transformational project for Daemen College and its students. The cornerstone of the state funding is the creation of a new technology hub. The proposed Center will significantly upgrade and improve the technology backbone necessary to keep pace with the college’s dramatic increase in graduate program offerings. It has been a privilege to work with Daemen to secure funding for such an important project,” said Ranzenhofer.
Daemen President Gary Olson said this will allow the school to advance its educational technology infrastructure to grow its graduate programs.
"This Graduate Studies Technology initiative, proposed investments in technology enhancements, in this building, in our graduate Distance Learning Lab and in the college's technology infrastructure. Senator Ranzenhofer listen to us and he asked tough questions, which he always does, and then he went to bat for us in Albany," stated Olsen.
The $480,000 grant is believed to be the second largest state grant ever in Daemen's history. The funding for the project has been approved through the New York State Municipal Facilities Program.
“Collectively, these technological enhancements at Daemen will radically improve the tools we have available to educate our students and enrich the type of learning experience they receive,” said Dr. Michael Brogan, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College. “Building this type of infrastructure will make us more adaptable to ever-increasing technology demands that will aid in fostering the growth of our robust graduate programs
The proposed Center will provide graduate students with computer linkages to partnerships with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Corridor, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and UB's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and connect with other private enterprises.
Daemen's Chief Information Officer Kelly Duran said this connectivity will expand the school's wireless coverage
"While these components can sometimes go unnoticed, strengthening them is essential and provides a robust foundation for us to move forward with technology at Daemen," said Duran. "We will now be able to implement an enhance web portal to improve the way our graduate students connect and interact with technology systems at Daemen."