After weeks of delay, the federal fiscal year 2024 spending bill has passed, and with it came the confirmation that Siena will receive $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending, thanks to Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
Sen. Schumer personally called President Chuck Seifert last week to deliver the good news and his support for the Siena mission.
“Siena is extremely grateful to the New York delegation, especially Senator Schumer, for shepherding our request through the lengthy and contentious budget process,” said President Seifert. “These funds will applied toward helping to prepare Siena students for STEM careers and to support education and professional development for others in the Capital Region.”
The $1 million in Congressional funding will be applied toward “Next Generation STEM Workforce and Community Education” to build out the pipeline for future STEM workforce by increasing enrollment, supporting middle and high school students, and expanding professional development opportunities. With the construction of Nobel Hall and enhanced science spaces on campus comes the need for updated technology and state-of-the-art equipment that will allow Siena to educate and support a higher number of STEM majors, ultimately resulting in an expanded STEM workforce in upstate New York in growing fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, applied physics/engineering, web development, data science, forensic science, biomedical research, allied health professions and more.
To further this effort, Siena has just submitted another “earmark” funding request for the fiscal year 2025 budget. The College is requesting an additional $2.47 million in equipment for a STEM laboratory and maker space.
