Bronx, NY – Bronx Community College (BCC) President Carolyn G. Williams celebrated with elected officials and The City University of New York staff Thursday, January 21, 2010, with a “topping off” ceremony at the construction site of the College’s new North Instructional Building and Library. The building is the first new construction since BCC moved to the campus more than 40 years ago.
“All of you have known of or seen the overcrowded, compromised facilities that our students, faculty and staff learn and work in,” said Williams. “Over the past 12 years, BCC has seen unprecedented growth in enrollment. Today, we have 11,000 students. A new building is a necessity. We need classroom space and we need a library – we need facilities which enable our faculty to teach and our students to learn.” From Fall, 2001 to Fall, 2009 there has been a 46% increase in fulltime student enrollment.
Guests who attended the midday event included Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson and Assemblymen Nelson Castro and Michael Benjamin; Jay Hershenson, CUNY senior vice chancellor and secretary of the Board of Trustees; Iris Weinshall, CUNY vice chancellor for facilities, planning, construction and management; Philip A. Berry, vice chairperson, CUNY Board of Trustees and acting chairperson of the CUNY Construction Fund; Paul T. Williams, Jr., executive director of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.
Bronx Community College Foundation Board members who attended the “topping off” ceremony included Howard Stein, Tom Lubas, Michael Williams and Walter Marin, BCC Foundation Chair.
President Williams thanked elected officials from the State Assembly and Senate to the Bronx Borough President’s Office to the New York City Council members and CUNY staff for bringing the North Instructional Building and Library closer to reality. She then joined Allan Dobrin, CUNY executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer, in the ceremonial signing of a beam to symbolize the vision and the struggle to reach the “topping off” stage of construction, which occurs when the last beam is hoisted into place at the top of the building. Dignitaries and many guests also signed their names on the beams which were painted white for the special occasion. Ribbon cutting for the opening of the building is planned for 2011.
Rising on the north side of the College’s main quadrangle, the new $102 million, 98,000-square-foot North Instructional Building and Library will house 15 large classrooms and a small café on the first floor; a vast, two-story information commons, along with group-study rooms and lounge seating on the second floor; and on the third level, book stacks surrounding a balcony will overlook the reading room below.
Clerestory windows, which surround the room will flood the space below with light. Throughout the building, windows will be placed to assure a flow of natural light and to provide views not only of Architect Stanford White’s 1892 classic campus master plan, but also of the Cloisters and the Henry Hudson Bridge.
BCC’s North Instructional Building and Library was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP, with Ismael Leyva Architects, PC. Construction management is by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York. The Construction Manager is TDX Construction Corporation.
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Founded in 1957, Bronx Community College (BCC), the oldest of City University of New York’s six community colleges, serves as the engine for academic and economic mobility for motivated students from diverse backgrounds and preparations. More than 10,500 students from over 109 nations are enrolled in 30 associate degree and certificate programs including Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Computer Graphics, Nuclear Medicine, and Business Administration, Digital Arts, Computer Information Systems, Education Associate, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology, Electronic Engineering Technology, Liberal Arts, Marketing, Accounting, Human Services, Media Technology and Paralegal Studies. BCC’s 43-acre campus, high above the Harlem River, features architectural masterpieces of Stanford White and Marcel Breuer, as well as the Hall of Fame of Great Americans, the nation’s first hall of fame. BCC President Carolyn G. Williams is in her 13th year of leadership service to the College, which is located on a 43-acre campus at 2155 University Avenue at West 181st Street , formerly New York University’s uptown campus until 1973.
The College is home to initiatives not commonly associated with two-year institutions, such as the Center for Sustainable Energy, which promotes the use of renewable and efficient energy technologies in urban communities. The National Center for Educational Alliances (NCEA) is currently collaborating with South African Further Education and Training Colleges and universities to create linkages between these institutions. NCEA also coordinates the College’s international initiatives and the annual International Education Week.