St. John Fisher College officials on Tuesday broke ground on the Integrated Sciences and Health Sciences Building. The college is building a $14 million academic facility as well as investing $2.5 million in renovations at the existing Skalny Science Center.
The new building will include laboratories, learning spaces and offices. College President Donald Bain says that St. John Fisher has experienced tremendous growth in enrollment in the sciences and it has to build for the future.
The new building is expected to be completed by fall of 2015, while the Skalny Science Center renovations should be finished by fall of 2016.
The project will create 60 construction jobs. Both the new building and the renovations are funded in part by a $250,000 grant from the Finger Lakes Economic Development Council.
According to a SUNY study, the Finger Lakes region in particular is experiencing a significant shortage in clinical lab technicians, pharmacists and registered nurses. Officials with the regional economic development council say they are trying to align workforce development with the needs in certain sectors.
