SUNY Plattsburgh Welcomes Clinton Community College to the Neighborhood

SUNY Plattsburgh welcomed its new neighbor and State University of New York sister, Clinton Community College, to the block with a picnic at the Hawkins Pond Wednesday afternoon.

Rain in the noon hour didn’t keep more than 100 university and community college faculty, staff and friends from waiting in line at the Chartwells food truck. They just used umbrellas, many in Plattsburgh’s red and white and Clinton’s orange and navy school colors, and ate under tents at the Ward Hall end of the pond.

University President Alexander Enyedi and Clinton Acting President Ken Knelly chatted with both institutions’ personnel who dined on sandwiches and special Clinton Cougar and Plattsburgh Burghy cookies.

Start of School Year

The gathering came nearly two weeks ahead of the start of each institution’s academic year, which beings the week of Aug. 25. Clinton is in its final stages of its relocation from the hill overlooking Lake Champlain in Bluff Point to the SUNY Plattsburgh campus.

The college will encompass Redcay — now called George Moore — Hall at 46 Beekman St., across from Hawkins Hall. The administration’s offices will be in the former Canadian Studies house at 133 Court St., across from the Olive Flynt Mason House, home to SUNY Plattsburgh’s president and his wife and SUNY associate, Andrea.

Preparations for the opening have been underway all summer after nearly 18 months of planning.  Banners and granite signs, blue window film with white lettering and other indicators give the building its own identity, distinct and separate from SUNY Plattsburgh.

Relocation Significant Step

The relocation marks a significant step forward in preserving and strengthening access to public higher education in Clinton County. Clinton’s presence on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus supports long-term financial stability, protects accreditation, and ensures continued enrollment opportunities for North Country students.

This collaborative transition has involved months of planning and coordination across both institutions, with a shared focus on supporting students, faculty, and staff through every phase of the move. Classrooms and departmental offices had to be relocated from Redcay and Canadian Studies to their new homes in Beaumont, at 102 Broad St. and elsewhere on campus. Renovations to Moore Hall needed to be completed before Clinton offices and classrooms could be installed.

Coordination between SUNY Plattsburgh’s IT office and Moore Hall had to be accomplished in order to get the college online and up and running. It marks the first time in 56 years that the college hasn’t launched its new academic year in the grand old building on the bluff; the undertaking was significant.

"Today was a wonderful opportunity for folks from both campuses to connect and, in many cases, reconnect," Knelly said. "We aren't just new neighbors; many of the employees at both institutions are already friends, neighbors and former co-workers.

“We appreciate SUNY Plattsburgh hosting us today, and we also are grateful for the many faculty and staff who have labored with us and on our behalf as we have undertaken the huge task of moving a campus. Our shared community is better for the effort," he said.

Classes for both SUNY Plattsburgh and Clinton Community College begin Monday, Aug. 25. For information on SUNY Plattsburgh’s opening, visit https://www.plattsburgh.edu/current-students/opening-week-information.html.

For information on Clinton Community College, visit https://www.clinton.edu/.

— Story, Photos by Associate Director of Communications Gerianne Downs