Farmingdale State College leaders and local lawmakers held a groundbreaking ceremony for the college’s future Campus Center on Wednesday.
The project “will serve as a symbol for the unprecedented growth and progress we are making in all the critical areas—applications, enrollment, quality of students, and the importance of our research enterprise,” College President Hubert Keen said.
The building will include new dining facilities for students, faculty, and staff, the campus bookstore, a multi-purpose room for lectures and special events as well as a student lounge.
When it opens in fall 2012, it will be the first new building on campus since the construction of Gleeson Hall in 1983.
The building, which will act as the gateway to campus, is expected to cost about $20 million.
The next project on campus will be the renovation of Conklin Hall.