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Erie Community College passes on downtown campus

ECC is moving forward with expansion in the suburb of Amherst - not downtown Buffalo.
M.V. Jantzen
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via Flickr
ECC is moving forward with expansion in the suburb of Amherst - not downtown Buffalo.

Erie Community College is going to move ahead with plans to build a new building in Amherst, rather than consolidating its multiple campuses into a downtown location, reports Jay Rey at the Buffalo News:

Those are the latest developments for ECC, where plans for the $30 million academic building stirred up controversy and set off an old debate over consolidating its three campuses. ECC officials on Wednesday reiterated their positions on campuses in the suburbs and the city. "I think the trustees are as committed as ever to building an academic building on the North Campus, and they are as committed as ever to our City Campus," ECC President Jack F. Quinn Jr. said. "I heard more than one of them say, 'This does not have to be an either-or.'" Plans for the North Campus building provoked opposition in the community from those who want it downtown, including former Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra, who fought for years to consolidate the three campuses in Buffalo to help revitalize the city's core.

SUNY's board is voting today on a new budget, reports Robin K. Cooper at the Business Review:

The University at Albany would receive $155 million, a $1.2 million cut from the current budget. The University at Buffalo ’s share would be $343 million, $3.8 million less than the 2010-11 school year.

Meanwhile the editorial board at the Buffalo News says the governor's NYSUNY 2020 bill is a "success story that should be celebrated."

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