As we enter the second half of the semester, staff and faculty at 1600 Valley Rd. find themselves uncertain about the future of the off-campus building.
The 1600 Valley Road building houses a variety of programs, like the Dorothy Mae Reading Clinic. Most notably, though, the Cotsakos College of Business and the College of Education both call this building home.
With housing development crawling up nearby on Valley Rd., there have been some murmurs of the potential purchase of the building by luxury housing developer, Toll Brothers Inc.
According to an article posted by the university in 2000, the off-campus building was originally purchased 26 years ago from International Paper to accommodate the growing student body. The acquisition, led by then university president Arnold Speert, was financed through the issuance of bonds. This method of financing could allow the university greater flexibility to sell the property at its discretion.
“The developer coincidentally contacted the University while we are working on a master planning process that addresses the possibility of relocating the College of Education and the Cotsakos College of Business from the 1600 Valley Road building to our main campus,” said Marybeth Zeman, senior director of public relations.
According to an associate professor for the master’s in education program, who asked not to be named, one dean has confirmed the relocation of the college(s) from the building to temporary accommodation on campus. Although the university has made it clear that there will be time and a notice given out before having to move out of the building.
But now the question remains, where on campus will they reside?
With space on campus already limited, it seems almost incredulous to think that they might find space to house 5 stories’ worth of faculty and classrooms on campus.
However, this is all preliminary and may not result in the master plan taking place at all. As of right now, the future of off-campus education buildings on 1600 Valley Rd. is in the air and up for speculation.
