From the Mills to Marcy The early history of the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome John Swann Copyright 2006 State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome All rights reserved Published by the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome Route 12/Horatio Street Utica, New York 13504 315-792-7100 Design and layout by Lynne Browne Printed by SUNYIT Print Shop Funded in part by the State of New York/United University Professions SUNYIT Joint Labor Management Committee Individual Development Award Program Photographs provided by the Cayan Library archives Thanks to Jerome Donovan for photographs from his personal collection, especially those depicting the campus groundbreaking and the “$9 million picnic” Cover photograph by Lynne Browne Table of Contents Foreword...................................................................................... i Introduction ................................................................................ 1 1960s “One of the greatest needs” ........................................................ 3 The view from Rome ................................................................... 5 An advocate arrives .................................................................... 6 The Brick Report ........................................................................ 6 A new college ............................................................................. 9 Two colleges or one? ................................................................. 10 “Obstacles to merger”............................................................... 11 Getting started .......................................................................... 12 Build it here ............................................................................. 14 “Zeroing in” on Marcy .............................................................. 15 1970s Transfer students arrive ............................................................ 17 Moving to the mills ................................................................... 18 The first president arrives ......................................................... 19 “Save the Upper Division College” ........................................... 20 A new name .............................................................................. 23 A new president ........................................................................ 23 “Close knit” college .................................................................. 25 Two colleges or one? (part two) ................................................. 28 First Commencement ................................................................ 30 Construction delayed, merger rejected...................................... 32 Build it somewhere ................................................................... 36 “Co-location” ............................................................................ 37 Donovan: insist on “steak” not “bones” .................................... 38 Co-location attracts support ...................................................... 39 “State University College of Technology” ................................. 40 Co-location, merger ruled out ................................................... 42 Downtown vs. Marcy ................................................................. 44 “A major milestone” ................................................................. 46 The cost of a downtown campus ................................................ 48 The “$9 million picnic” ............................................................ 49 1980s Construction delayed – again.................................................... 51 Two colleges or one? (part three)............................................... 53 Marcy campus approved ........................................................... 55 Right man, right place, right time ............................................. 57 New campus – which programs? ............................................... 59 A new president ........................................................................ 61 A moving experience ................................................................ 64 The campus dedication ............................................................. 66 Technology and the new campus............................................... 69 “SUNY Institute of Technology” ............................................... 72 Donovan’s legacy ...................................................................... 74 1990s Living on campus ..................................................................... 77 Turning 25 ................................................................................ 78 Brown and gold, blue and gray ................................................. 79 Online and uplinked ................................................................. 81 Library’s growing pains ............................................................. 83 Change in mission proposed ..................................................... 85 2000s New century, new era ................................................................ 87 End of an era ............................................................................ 91 Epilogue .................................................................................... 92 Notes ........................................................................................ 95 Index ...................................................................................... 106 Foreword In the fall of 2005, a new staff member told me she had been unable to locate a thorough history of the college. Apart from scattered references to our founding in annual reports and other official publications, no reliable record of our early days existed. The conversation was part of a planning session for the institution’s 40th anniversary year, and it prompted me to begin what was in- tended to be an online historical overview of several hundred words. A history on the college website, I thought, would be of special interest during the anniversary year – one that could be easily expanded and updated in years to come. As the months went by, the project grew beyond that early notion into this book. Where to begin? Some colleges can trace their founding to a single event, or to an individual. As the record revealed, this institution was the vision of many “founders” who fought for years to establish what they believed the region needed, and deserved: a public institution of higher education. The story begins with a brief explanation of what higher education opportunities were here early on, and proceeds through the years when advocates sought to establish and develop this college. No attempt is made to provide an “up-to-the minute” recounting or analysis of the most recent events in our history, except to summarize them in a way that brings us into the early part of the 21st century. Much of the narrative herein relies on newspaper accounts from the last four decades; other publications (many from the college archives and from private collections) provided valuable insight as well. Archival interviews provided by the Office of Instructional Resources were helpful; in several instances, I in- terviewed individuals (in person, by telephone and through email exchanges) who were kind enough to share their memories of the college’s especially tumultuous early years. Jerome Donovan, Richard Benedetto, Mary Jane Przestrzelski, John Zogby and many others provided interesting and insightful recollections. i Although the “tale grew in the telling,” this work was not intended to examine the college’s first 40 years exhaustively. Rather, through a variety of representative sources it will, I hope, provide a foundation for those who wish to construct a more com- plete history of the college at some future time. Since this is still a relatively young institution, providing too much detail might risk burdening the reader with an unnecessarily lengthy work. Also, a fairly concise and straightforward history is entirely appropriate for an institution founded to serve those who were looking for, in a sense, a concise and straightforward education. This project would not have been possible without the sup- port, cooperation and assistance of many current and past staff, faculty and friends of SUNYIT. First and foremost, the layout and design of this volume are the work of Lynne Browne whose expertise, help and advice were invaluable. Thanks also to Michael De Cicco and Matt Kopytowski for their assistance. Special thanks to Milt Smith, Dan Murphy, Ron Sarner, and all those who read part or all of early drafts, and provided feedback. The Cayan Library’s Dan Schabert, Barb Grimes, and Ron Foster were especially helpful. Finally, the example set by my wife Patricia Swann’s academic research and writings, as well as her constant encouragement and support, provided both inspiration and guidance. “The minor events of history are valuable,” Mark Twain wrote, “although not always showy and picturesque.” I hope you find some value in this story of the events, and people, who took the idea of a college and transformed it into reality. John Swann October 1, 2006 ii Introduction Higher education in the Mohawk Valley Higher education in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York State is almost as old as the nation itself. As was the case in most of the former colonies, religious denominations were the driving