MCNY Bronx Campus Part of $35 Million Project to Better Serve Bronx Community
NEW YORK, NY- September 25, 2013 — Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, September 26th for the Triangle Plaza Hub in the Melrose neighborhood of the South Bronx –the site of the new Bronx campus for MCNY. The new building will be located at 459 East 149th Street at Brook Avenue in the South Bronx. Joining MCNY President Vinton Thompson for the ceremony will be Bronx President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Councilmember Maria del Carmen Arroyo, representative for District 17, in the Bronx. The new campus is set to open in fall 2015.
Dr. Vinton Thompson
President, MCNY
“This is an exciting milestone in the life of Metropolitan College of New York,” said Vinton Thompson. “It reflects the success of the Bronx Extension Center, our continued confidence in the vitality of the South Bronx and the vibrant Hub business district. This is a long-term commitment to provide enhanced educational opportunities for residents of the Bronx and adjacent parts of the city and suburbs.”
MCNY will occupy a first floor reception center and the larger part of the 2nd floor of the Triangle Plaza Hub for a total of 26,049 square feet. The purchase of this permanent facility will enable MCNY to add student and academic support and library services to turn the Extension Center in the Bronx into a full branch campus serving 350 students. This project will also create at least six full-time positions and an additional 14 full-time equivalent adjunct faculty positions. The project is financed by Goldman Sachs and takes advantage of a New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation of $2.1 million. NMTC was established by Congress to spur development in economically challenged communities.
Maria Carmen del Arroyo
Councilmember, District 17 Bronx
“The Bronx community is delighted that Metropolitan College of New York is building a permanent home in the Bronx,” said Councilmember Maria del Carmen Arroyo, District 17, “The project will be a wonderful resource for higher education for Bronx residents, new jobs, new businesses, development and training.”
This $35 million project partnership between New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Empire State Development (ESD) and Triangle Equities, with the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group (Goldman Sachs), transforms an underutilized municipal parking lot into an 88,000 square-foot mixed-use commercial and community facility. The MCNY campus will join a variety of community amenities, including a Fine Fare supermarket, part of the City’s Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH) Program.
Dr. Manuel Sanchez, JD, M.Ed, Director MCNY BEC
In 2012, MCNY launched its MCNY Bronx Extension Center (BEC) in the South Bronx which is currently serving approximately 150 students. Dr. Manuel Sánchez, a Bronx native, is the Director of the MCNY BEC. “The BEC can best be described in one phrase: Service to the Community,” says Dr. Sánchez. “We are invested in the success of the future of our students and the future of the Bronx.”
Draft Rendering Front Entrance from East 149th Street
Draft Rendering of view from Brooke Avenue
About Metropolitan College of New York
Audrey Cohen, educational visionary and activist, founded the Women’s Talent Corps in 1964. Through development and training for new professional positions, the Talent Corps created employment for thousands of people. It became The College for Human Services, later Audrey Cohen College, and today Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY). MCNY continues the tradition of offering highly motivated learners an education that combines applied skills and professional knowledge to effect personal transformation and positive change in the workplace and community. MCNY is a not-for-profit, accredited, independent college. Full year-round offerings accelerate degree completion, and a unique approach to learning permits close integration of workplace activities and study. MCNY is conveniently located in Hudson Square where SoHo meets TriBeCa at 431 Canal Street, New York, NY 10013 and in the Bronx at 529 Courtlandt Ave Bronx, NY 10451. For more information on MCNY, visit www.mcny.edu or call 800.33.THINK.