President Ramsammy Named to State Education Panel; College Hosts Testing Site and Other Related Updates
May 11, 2020
As classes enter their final week, the college continues to find new ways to assist its students and the greater Capital Region community in response to the COVID 19 outbreak.
President Ramsammy Named to Statewide Reimagine Education Panel
President Roger Ramsammy has been asked by Governor Cuomo to serve on New York's Reimagine Education Advisory Council, which will help school districts reimagine educational delivery while protecting health and safety and discuss how virtual learning can supplement face-to-face education when schools reopen. The Council will be comprised of secondary and higher education leaders from across the state.
Campus to Host First Rensselaer County Testing Site
Hudson Valley Community College is serving as the first permanent testing site in Rensselaer County for COVID-19. The site opened Friday, May 8, for appointment-only testing for those who suspect they may have COVID-19. It is located in the B-lot, near the Bulmer Telecommunications Center. COVID-19 testing continues at the Hudson Valley site Monday, May 11 - Friday, May 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments are required. Call 1-800-245-4245 to make an appointment.
COVID 19 Emergency Fund Update
The COVID-19 Emergency Fund continues to grow after a #GivingTuesdayNow boost on May 5.
The COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund was established in March with an initial $7,500 gift from the members of the HVCC Foundation Board. Subsequent gifts from the Faculty Association, the college’s Non-Teaching Professionals Organization, Student Association and Faculty Student Association and many other donors, alumni and friends of the college, have pushed the emergency fund to more than $50,000.
Contributions to the COVID-19 fund between April 15 and June 30 are eligible for a 1:1 match from the SUNY Impact Foundation. To date, $29,000 of the gifts received fall within that timeframe. If the college raises another $21,000 by June 30, we will receive a $50,000 matching gift!
Some of these funds are being used to support a “virtual food pantry” that the college established last month. As of Friday, the college has issued nearly 200 $50 gift cards that can be used for food at Hannaford supermarkets.
Face Shield Production Begins on Campus
With raw materials in hands now to produce approximately 600 face shields, faculty members and lab techs from the technology programs have set up a production line in the Cogan Senior Automotive Lab. STEM Dean Jonathan Ashdown said between 100 and 200 face shields should be completed by the end of the week, with more being produced in the coming weeks.
The college joins dozens of other SUNY institutions who are manufacturing protective face shield that will eventually be delivered to local hospitals. It seems that many other companies, colleges and universities with access to 3D printing technology Advanced Manufacturing Technology Instructor Dean Odell is overseeing the production.