At a glance
President Dr. John M. Anderson welcomed dignitaries to campus recently as he, and they, broke ground for the college’s new Student Leadership Center. The Center, destined to be unique to higher educ
Alfred State College President Dr. John M. Anderson welcomed dignitaries to campus recently as he, and they, broke ground for the college’s new Student Leadership Center. The Center, destined to be unique to higher education, will in every aspect motivate students to take initiative to lead and contribute to the public good. One facet of developing this program is to provide “hands-on” experiences that demonstrate how their choices and actions impact others. This is not done in a text book, but done through student-led projects. This new center will house 25-30 “civic-minded” club spaces that can only be occupied after the student leaders submit a student leadership business plan on a project that gives back to the community (campus, local, regional, world) and must include a marketing plan explaining how they will draw other students to their projects. Located at the center of campus, this new structure will include a climbing wall overlooking the beautiful valley of Alfred; high and low ropes courses; “dirty space,” where students can work on projects; a gaming room with Wii and PS3; a late night café; a student-run retail store; and “wow”-inspiring technology. Additionally, in an effort to achieve gold LEED certification, the building will feature geo-thermal wells, solar panels, and a water reclamation system, to name a few of its characteristics. Speakers at the event, in addition to Anderson, included NYS Sen. Catharine Young (R, C, I-Olean); Erik Tellander, William Rawn Associates, Boston, MA, architects; Geoff Hamburg, capital program manager, SUNY Construction Fund; Bill Goodrich, ASC class of 1984, CEO and president, LeChase Construction, LLC, providing construction management services on the project; AJ LaMere, Dr. Steven J. Tyrell, ASC vice president for Student Affairs; Dick Camping, Christa Construction; Robert Kanarkiewicz, assistant director of design, SUNY Construction Fund; and Ned Baxter, William Rawn Associates.