By Kamiko Chamble and Aleksandra Sidorova
This time next year, Clinton Community College and SUNY Plattsburgh will have shared a campus for one semester. Over the course of the spring 2025 semester, SUNY Plattsburgh will be making room by relocating departments and offices.
The department of gender and women’s studies has already been relocated into a retrofitted space in Hawkins Hall. The remainder of the moves to be phased over the spring semester of 2025, according to President Alexander Enyedi’s email to the campus Nov. 1.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will relocate to the 10th floor of Kehoe Administration Building in January 2025. The Global Education Office, currently on the 10th floor, will move to the second.
Anthropology, sociology and criminal justice will move by the end of April 2025. The Center for the Study of Canada will also move to 102 Broad St., which houses expeditionary studies, by then, too.
Enyedi said: “I am excited by this emerging paradigm shift of how SUNY delivers its academic mission to New York students, and I am pleased that the system chose us to develop a model with CCC that might someday be used elsewhere. I fully support this strategic initiative and am committed to ensuring that the transition is as smooth as possible.”
Some students, however, are disappointed by the choice. Sophomore history major Quinn van Lone, who recently added an anthropology minor, doesn’t have any classes in Redcay. However, he spends at least three hours a day in the anthropology student commons in Redcay studying or attending Anthropology Club meetings.
“I don’t know what it is about it, but it’s a very relaxing study environment for me,” van Lone said.
The anthropology department was part of why van Lone chose to attend SUNY Plattsburgh, and the commons were key to helping them connect with the campus community.
“I learned about this school because of an anthropology student here,” van Lone said. “When I came here, I didn’t know anybody else, and they knew I wasn’t the best at navigating new situations, so they invited me into this space and I started making friends with everybody here.”
Van Lone said he was frustrated to learn the news that the department is moving, and the commons along with it. The commons make them feel safer and more comfortable than other study spaces such as Feinberg Library.
“It’s hard for me to get comfortable in a situation, and I’ve only just recently realized how much I like it over here,” van Lone said. “Subconsciously, I worry that the move would upend more than I’m expecting it to.”
Anthropology Club members aren’t certain whether there will be a new space for them in Beaumont.
“Having a place that you know is safe and that you know is yours — it’s been set aside specifically for you and your group — means the world,” van Lone said.
Van Lone is, however, curious to see how SUNY Plattsburgh will share its campus with Clinton Community College.
The decision to co-locate Clinton Community College on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus by fall 2025 is part of a strategic vision by SUNY Central leadership to create shared efficiencies and foster collaboration that will benefit students from both institutions.
SUNY Plattsburgh is opening space for Clinton Community College’s academic delivery needs while ensuring that their own departments are supported.
“I view this as an excellent opportunity to make the best use of our existing resources and build stronger connections to CCC that serve the educational needs of our community,” Enyedi said.
SUNY Plattsburgh is working on updating and retrofitting the new spaces that have been designated for their departments, coordinating with external contractor partners to ensure each location is well prepared to meet the needs of its occupants.
“I see this as a tremendous opportunity to strengthen ties within the SUNY community, to the benefit of both institutions,” Enyedi said.
SUNY Plattsburgh is planning a new Admissions Welcome Center set to open in the former Algonquin Dining Hall by Jan. 24, 2028. This facility would provide a welcoming and informative experience for prospective students and their families.
