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Le Moyne College joins Griffiss Institute’s Innovare Alliance
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College is now part of the Griffiss Institute’s Innovare Alliance, an initiative that seeks to advance technical and professional development disciplines and to “nurture a skilled workforce to drive growth and prosperity in the region.” The partnership aims to expand access to high-quality educational, training, research, and entrepreneurial opportunities in […]
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College is now part of the Griffiss Institute’s Innovare Alliance, an initiative that seeks to advance technical and professional development disciplines and to “nurture a skilled workforce to drive growth and prosperity in the region.”
The partnership aims to expand access to high-quality educational, training, research, and entrepreneurial opportunities in the communities they serve, while “leveraging interorganizational synergies” among upstate New York’s academic, industrial, and defense sectors.
Both Griffiss Institute and Le Moyne College signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Aug. 3. Le Moyne is the 10th member of the Innovare Alliance.
Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne College, expressed her excitement about the partnership. “At Le Moyne, we believe in providing our students with the best of all worlds — a values-based academic program grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, combined with technical training and essential skills,” LeMura said. “Joining the Innovare Alliance will offer unprecedented experiential learning and venture development opportunities to our faculty, staff, students and alumni, empowering them to thrive in their chosen fields.”
The Innovare Alliance is a consortium of nine entities, including Griffiss Institute; Air Force Research Laboratory/Information Directorate (AFRL/RI); Oneida County; the City of Rome; NYSTEC; State University of New York; Central New York Defense Alliance; Rochester Institute of Technology; and Binghamton University that is focused on accelerating the development and deployment of emerging technologies for national defense and commercial markets.
Heather Hage, president and CEO of Griffiss Institute, welcomed Le Moyne to the Innovare Alliance.
“This MoU represents a significant step in our mission to drive innovation and collaboration,” Hage said in a news release. “Together with our partners, we will explore new and innovative techniques in education and research, with a special focus on critical areas such as cybersecurity, quantum information sciences, machine learning and autonomous systems. Through co-designed programs, we aim to prepare the future workforce to tackle the challenges of our rapidly evolving world.”
With Le Moyne College joining the Innovare Alliance, the collaboration will usher in new, collaborative programs that focus on engineering, computer science, mathematics and other critical disciplines.
The partnership between the two institutions will pave the way for new, collaborative programs aimed at growing the pool of skilled individuals prepared to work in engineering, computer and mathematical occupations in upstate New York. Furthermore, they will provide an environment conducive to the creation of innovative ideas, supported by state-of-the-art facilities and mentorship to accelerate their development into commercially viable technologies.
“The partnership between Griffiss Institute and Le Moyne College holds immense potential for our region’s growth and development,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr. said in the release. “By combining their expertise and resources, they will foster innovation, cultivate talent and drive economic progress in Upstate New York. I commend both institutions for their commitment to strengthening our community and providing our workforce with valuable opportunities.”
Schumer touts $1B rise in annual Medicare funding for Upstate hospitals
Upstate hospitals can expect a $1 billion increase in annual federal Medicare payments after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) adjusted the Medicare wage index. It represents one of the “biggest shots in the arm” for federal funding upstate New York hospitals have seen in decades, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.)
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Upstate hospitals can expect a $1 billion increase in annual federal Medicare payments after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) adjusted the Medicare wage index.
It represents one of the “biggest shots in the arm” for federal funding upstate New York hospitals have seen in decades, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) announced Aug. 2.
The additional funding totals more than $121 million for Central New York hospitals; over $87 million for hospitals in the Mohawk Valley; more than $111 million for Southern Tier hospitals; and nearly $42 million for hospitals in the North Country, Schumer’s office said.
The senator explained that the Medicare wage index rate is used to determine how much money the U.S. government pays hospitals for labor costs when they treat Medicare patients. Each metro area is assigned a rate that dictates whether they receive more or less than the national average for health-care labor costs. However, “historically” hospitals in upstate New York had received less than the true cost of providing health care for the areas they served.
“For years, our hardworking healthcare providers have faced unfairly low Medicare payments, receiving cents on the dollar for the care they provide, but now after over a decade of fighting I am proud to announce I have secured the rules change which will bring nearly $1 billion every single year to hospitals across Upstate NY,” Schumer contended. “Years from now, we will look back at today as a pivotal moment for our Upstate New York hospitals. From Albany to Buffalo, and Binghamton to Watertown, hospitals big and small, in rural and urban areas, will finally get the support and full reimbursements they have long deserved and have been denied for too long.”
Schumer’s news release included a chart detailing the estimated increase in Medicare wage index payments for hospitals by region with the finalized rule, along with charts for specific hospitals in each region.
On Point for College looks to connect students to careers in semiconductor industry
UTICA — On Point for College, a nonprofit education and career-attainment program, is setting its sights on the semiconductor industry to ensure the future pipeline of workers in the microchip-manufacturing industry. On Point created a new dedicated career-advisor position in its Utica office and is working on developing a program that will help connect high-school
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UTICA — On Point for College, a nonprofit education and career-attainment program, is setting its sights on the semiconductor industry to ensure the future pipeline of workers in the microchip-manufacturing industry.
On Point created a new dedicated career-advisor position in its Utica office and is working on developing a program that will help connect high-school students with the industry to learn more about it and the career opportunities in that field.
“The Micron announcement really reverberated across New York state,” On Point Executive Director Samuel Rowser says. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) announced in the fall of 2022 that it will invest up to $100 billion over the next two decades to build a semiconductor manufacturing campus in the town of Clay, creating nearly 50,000 jobs statewide.
That announcement got Rowser and his colleagues at On Point thinking what role the organization could play in ensuring a ready workforce for Micron by bringing awareness of the industry to the students it serves. Having another semiconductor business, Wolfspeed, Inc., which is already up in running in the Utica area, sealed the deal on the need for something, he adds.
Zachary Berle, who served as an On Point advisor, steps into the new career-advisor position. Berle holds a bachelor’s degree in human development from SUNY Oswego. Prior to joining On Point, he worked as an employment specialist and mental-health program coordinator at The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter.
“He’s a really, really smart guy,” Rowser says. “He does his research.” Berle is already at work designing the program.
On Point worked with NBT Bank to fund the creation of Berle’s position.
“New York has seen in influx of investment into the microchip industry which has accelerated over the last three years,” NBT Bank President/CEO John H. Watt, Jr. said in a news release. “At the same time our communities are celebrating this, studies show that there is an anticipated skilled labor shortage in the semiconductor industry. NBT is honored to support On Point in this effort to ensure that the communities we serve are positioned to benefit from the microchip investments.”
NBT has committed to funding the On Point career-advisor position for the next several years, David Kavney, NBT regional president for the Mohawk Valley and Central New York, says. Companies like Micron, along with Wolfspeed, energy-solutions company Danfoss, and even Global Foundries, a semiconductor producer in the Albany area, are creating a growing corridor of high-tech jobs that align with NBT’s operations footprint.
Funding the career-advisor job is a way for NBT to give back to and reinvest in the communities it serves, Kavney says. “Rising tides should lift all boats, and we really want to make sure all boats are lifted.”
On Point will also work with educators, businesses, and economic-development organizations to build pathways for students to apply for training and certification programs and college degrees that provide the necessary training and skills for careers in the microchip and semiconductor industries.
On Point’s efforts already include more than just the new position, Rowser says. The organization organized a trip Aug. 8-9 to take a group of students to tour Micron’s facility in Manassas, Virginia.
“The students need to see it so they can be it,” he says. They also want to arrange visits to the Utica–area’s facilities so students can see them, learn more, and hopefully spark interest in careers in and around the semiconductor industry, Rowser adds. It could inspire someone to be an engineer, or it could make someone realize they want to be the person who teaches those engineers, he says.
This new initiative is just part of On Point’s ongoing mission, Rowser adds. For them, it’s not about doing something with each “next cool thing” but a commitment over the years to developing and empowering students.
On Point has offices in Syracuse and Utica and provides its free services to those age 17 and older in Onondaga, Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, and Cayuga counties. Since 1999, the organization has helped more than 4,500 students earn more than 5,000 college degrees.
Visions FCU opens new branch in Oneonta
ONEONTA, N.Y. — Visions Federal Credit Union (FCU) on July 25 announced the grand opening of a new branch office in Oneonta, representing its first branch in Otsego County. Located in the WellNow Plaza at 5001 NY-23, the branch offers accounts and financial services for individuals, businesses, and nonprofits. It is equipped with a teller
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ONEONTA, N.Y. — Visions Federal Credit Union (FCU) on July 25 announced the grand opening of a new branch office in Oneonta, representing its first branch in Otsego County.
Located in the WellNow Plaza at 5001 NY-23, the branch offers accounts and financial services for individuals, businesses, and nonprofits. It is equipped with a teller line, office space for loan and account services, a walk-up ATM, an overnight depository, and instant card printing services.
“Thanks to our remote services like digital banking and our Contact Center, we’ve been serving hundreds of Oneonta residents over the last several years,” Anna Hillis, Oneonta branch manager, said in a Visions FCU news release. “Now, we’re happy to introduce these in-person resources and local staff to support them on their financial journey as we welcome new members, too.”
Born and raised in Oneonta, Hillis is a graduate of SUNY Oneonta with more than 10 years of experience in financial services. Visions FCU hired Hillis in March.
MV SBDC, thINCubator innovate to serve business community
UTICA, N.Y. — From working at home to meal delivery, there’s no denying the pandemic changed the way companies do business in America. Locally, it also helped spur some changes in how the Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Mohawk Valley Community College’s (MVCC) thINCubator interact with those businesses. “COVID really impacted businesses,
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UTICA, N.Y. — From working at home to meal delivery, there’s no denying the pandemic changed the way companies do business in America. Locally, it also helped spur some changes in how the Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Mohawk Valley Community College’s (MVCC) thINCubator interact with those businesses.
“COVID really impacted businesses, but also impacted organizations that provide services to businesses,” SBDC Regional Director Zachary Steffen says. For the SBDC, the organization went from helping people start businesses and offering all sorts of training opportunities to helping businesses navigate COVID, whether it was requirements for staying open or how to apply for pandemic-related funding like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
That business model consumed much of the organization’s activities in 2020 through 2021, before operations returned to a more normal state over the past two years.
“What we’re seeing is people want to start businesses again; people want to buy businesses again,” Steffen says. But the landscape has changed a little. Technology utilized during the pandemic when so many people had to work from home has changed how people do business. “In some cases, it has lowered barriers in the cost of starting a business.”
In some ways, it also changed the scope of who the SBDC works with and has strengthened the partnership the organization has formed with the thINCubator in Utica. In fact, the SBDC has operated from that space for just over four years, Steffen says.
“Being in the thINCubator has facilitated a connection to the business community,” he notes. “Now, we’re in the center of it all.”
Over the past year, the two organizations focused on developing synergies, Steffen says, and working collectively to serve as a one-stop shop for small-business needs. The partnership takes advantage of the strengths of each organization — and its employees — and eliminates redundancies.
The SBDC and thINCubator, headed up by Ryan Miller, now share a co-branded website (thincubator.co) and one common intake form, which can be completed online or over the phone, so businesses are paired with the person from either organization best able to help them, he says. That pairing can even change between organizations as the business or entrepreneur progresses and their needs change, Miller notes. Businesses can even consent to the two organizations sharing their information in order to best serve them.
The streamlining has already produced benefits, Miller says. Prior to these changes, in a typical year, he would work with about 85-90 entrepreneurs or businesses a year. So far this year, he’s already worked with 112.
The organizations also collaborate on training, events, and programs. “We worked with Ryan to build out a training schedule that is hopefully hitting all the needs of businesses at all different development levels,” Steffen adds.
The SBDC still offers all its core services, he says. “We work with business owners along every stage of the journey from start-up to exit planning.”
While the SBDC does not provide capital, it can connect people to sources of capital. Staff members have expertise in government contracting, minority- and woman-owned business certification, workforce development, food-related businesses, small and side businesses, and also have access to their fellow SBDC peers at offices around the state.
“Businesses can come to us and, even if we don’t have a solution in-house, we can connect them to a solution,” Steffen says. The SBDC also offers free business research through the New York Small Business Development Center Research Network.
All of that pairs with services offered by the thINCubator, which includes mentorship, training, and even incubator and co-working space for rent at its 326 Broad St. facility.
The Mohawk Valley SBDC has a staff of six, which includes three business advisors and one associate advisor. Administered by SUNY, the state has 22 campus-based regional SBDC centers and dozens of outreach offices.
ENDICOTT, N.Y. — ICS is consolidating its regional managed-technology brands into one national brand, TechMD. ICS, headquartered in Endicott, is a technology management and cybersecurity company. In its July 21 news release, TechMD says it will spend the majority of the summer consolidating its brand materials and websites. After several recent acquisitions including AKUITY Technologies,
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ENDICOTT, N.Y. — ICS is consolidating its regional managed-technology brands into one national brand, TechMD.
ICS, headquartered in Endicott, is a technology management and cybersecurity company.
In its July 21 news release, TechMD says it will spend the majority of the summer consolidating its brand materials and websites.
After several recent acquisitions including AKUITY Technologies, Cards Technologies, and Tech MD, ICS will roll up its information-technology (IT) services into two national brands — TechMD for managed-technology services and 1nteger for cybersecurity.
Both brands will manage a national footprint and support small, medium, and enterprise companies through regional offices in New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, and California in addition to over 275 remote employees across the U.S., ICS said.
Effective immediately, the firm will no longer use the AKUITY Technologies and Cards Technologies brands. The ICS brand will remain the name of the corporate entity but will no longer appear in marketing.
ICS, founded in 1987, was purchased by partners Kevin Blake and Travis Hayes in 1995.
Company leaders indicate they made the decision to change the brand name to TechMD after “careful consideration and feedback from clients.”
Moving to a national brand and footprint allows the company to enhance its service offerings and provide even better IT services to its clients in the form of faster response time, enhanced communications, expanded after hours support, and more robust technical education, the company stresses.
Cybersecurity, provided by sister-brand 1nteger, “will remain a priority as well.”
Company CEO Kevin Blake says the decision is “deeply in-tune” with the vision he has for serving clients.
“At TechMD our goal is to be a future-ready technology company that knows and understands its clients’ needs.” Blake said. “As a tech company, we are very focused on technology fitness and invisible reliability, but a lot of what differentiates us is our personal approach. Our TechMD tagline “IT built around you” reinforces that our clients are at the center of our services. Our biggest reward comes from helping our clients make a positive impact in the industries and communities they serve.”
Innovation/Entrepreneur Resource Directory
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MMRI summer fellows class of 2023 graduates
UTICA, N.Y. — The Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) celebrated the graduation of this year’s group of summer fellows on July 28. The graduation event included science presentations by the nine summer fellows and was attended by MMRI scientists, parents, donors, dignitaries including New York Assembly members Marianne Buttenschon and Brian Miller, and local leaders.
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UTICA, N.Y. — The Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) celebrated the graduation of this year’s group of summer fellows on July 28.
The graduation event included science presentations by the nine summer fellows and was attended by MMRI scientists, parents, donors, dignitaries including New York Assembly members Marianne Buttenschon and Brian Miller, and local leaders. Michael G. Matt, an alumnus of the 2012 fellowship and now a pediatric-rheumatology fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, served as guest speaker.
This year’s MMRI summer fellows are Joseph DeTraglia, University of Rochester; Dasomie Kim, Hamilton College; Ryan Klapmeyer, University of Florida; Meghan Lynskey, Rochester Institute of Technology; Joshua Macera, Binghamton University; Alexander Mandia, Lehigh University; Adelina Rivera, Vassar College; Nikita Shah, SUNY Polytechnic Institute; and Caitlin Snyder, SUNY Fredonia.
The summer fellowship is a scholarship-based program for college students where they are paired with a scientist mentor and work for 10 weeks at MMRI.
Founded in 1958, the MMRI’s research focuses on multiple areas of cardiac research including congenital heart disease, hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, inflammation, stem cells, genetics, electrophysiology, diabetes and obesity, metabolism, autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, and cancer.
OPINION: Comptroller Report is a Reality Check on NYS’ Energy Overhaul
As New York State attempts to meet the requirements of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), it is becoming clearer that the fears about its shortcomings are about to become a reality. More evidence of this came by way of New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who [recently] released a report emphasizing how far behind
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As New York State attempts to meet the requirements of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), it is becoming clearer that the fears about its shortcomings are about to become a reality. More evidence of this came by way of New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who [recently] released a report emphasizing how far behind the state is in meeting the unrealistic demands required under the new environmental policy.
According to the report, the state would need to increase renewable-power generation by more than 200 percent compared to how much was being produced last year. DiNapoli notes that in order to generate the vast majority of the state’s power from renewable energy, much more needs to be done. The report says “… this is a big ‘if.’”
Making matters worse, the comptroller’s report also highlights some of the erratic decisions leading up to the 2019 CLCPA, indicative of the state’s poor track record on environmental policy making. It adds: “In reviewing the State’s prior performance, a case can be made that the State was inconsistent in its funding commitments to meet the goal of generating 30 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2015.” If we had a hard time hitting 30 percent due to a lack of coherent policy making and execution, there is little reason to be confident about the next 70 percent of the process.
The stakes could not be higher. Failing to hit these benchmarks means an unreliable energy grid — and considering our needs during the cold winter months and especially warm summer ones, not having enough power is simply not an option. At the end of June, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) expressed concerns that the rush to full electrification combined with the closure of fossil-fuel plants is compromising the reliability of the state’s energy grid during peak power months, especially in New York City.
Even in a best-case scenario, the CLCPA also fails consumers as costs are expected to skyrocket either way. Energy costs are already wildly unaffordable, and a recent report that supplier National Grid is looking at another potential 21 percent hike for ratepayers is terrifying. Consumers already have enough to contend with considering the price of utilities, goods, and other everyday items are already through the roof; the burden of transitioning to near-total renewable energy so quickly seems economically unfathomable, yet we are inching closer to it every day.
As I have said before, New York’s power grid demands a diverse portfolio that guarantees reliable, affordable energy. Renewable energy should be a part of our energy portfolio, but it cannot be the only plan. While the state’s progressives continue to develop ineffective and frivolous policies like banning gas stoves and pizza ovens, the Assembly Minority Conference will continue to develop an energy plan that delivers reliable, affordable energy for our residents. Anything else is irresponsible and dangerous.
William (Will) A. Barclay, 54, Republican, is the New York Assembly minority leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses all of Oswego County, as well as parts of Jefferson and Cayuga counties.
OPINION: The System Works — But It Also Needs Attention
Back in mid-July, an eye-opening poll came out. It raises some serious questions about Americans’ underlying confidence in our democracy. The poll, from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, was filled with dire findings: only about half the country thinks democracy is working at least somewhat well; a majority of U.S. adults believe
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Back in mid-July, an eye-opening poll came out. It raises some serious questions about Americans’ underlying confidence in our democracy.
The poll, from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, was filled with dire findings: only about half the country thinks democracy is working at least somewhat well; a majority of U.S. adults believe our laws and policies do a poor job representing what most Americans want; 53 percent of Americans say views of “people like you” are not represented well by the government; and the same percentage say Congress does a poor job of upholding democratic values — while just 16 percent say it’s doing a good job.
You can see why all this might be troubling. To be sure, individual respondents expressed a range of concerns, from the sense that Congress is arguing over issues that have little to do with the realities and struggles of their lives to the belief that political contentiousness is turning many Americans away from getting involved in public and community life. But it’s not a very big step from a sense that things are awry with our system to a conviction that the problem is the system — our representative democracy —itself.
Now, I don’t believe that most Americans favor authoritarianism. They want a voice in government. But they also want decent lives for themselves and their families, and if they don’t see our elected officials addressing the issues they believe matter, it’s a problem. As tempting as it might be to coast on the assumption that belief in democracy is such a bedrock value that we can take it for granted, we cannot. Democratic governments like ours have to perform. They have to show they can improve the quality of their citizens’ lives.
Over the centuries, of course, this is exactly what our system has done. Through world wars, the Civil War, economic recessions, depressions, and enormous challenges, America has not just survived, but also improved. We continue to live in the world’s largest and most competitive economy, we have bettered the lives of countless older Americans with programs like Social Security and Medicare — remember, these were once just ideas that got turned into legislation and then into daily reality — and we’ve improved the lives of many younger people through access to college, training programs, and broader opportunities. Perhaps most important, we have created a country where economic and social opportunity, while still not as evenly distributed as they should be, are available to the overwhelming majority of Americans. This remains a land of opportunity because our system makes that possible.
So, while I get that these are politically divided and contentious times, I also take heart by looking back at the course of our history. We’re coming up on 250 years of practice in resolving issues that arouse great passion and affect the nature of life in the U.S., and only once has the system failed — with the disastrous result, of course, being the Civil War. That great national trauma ought to be a reminder that we Americans thrive best when we settle our differences through the political process: We bring our beliefs into the voting booth, genuine grassroots-lobbying campaigns, organizing efforts, and other means of peacefully advancing our points of view.
One key aspect of that recent poll gave me hope as I read the results. Where people express disappointment, it’s with the system falling short of our ideals, not with those ideals themselves. We believe that Congress and other representative bodies should do just that: represent the concerns of a majority of Americans. And most Americans recognize that reaching practicable solutions usually means finding areas of common ground with political opponents — and that, win or lose, there’s always a next time.
So as we look ahead, it doesn’t hurt to look back and reflect on all the challenges we have overcome. It’s an impressive record. The strength of our country lies in the fact that over our history, Americans have always found a way forward by embracing the opportunities that our system offers. That’s no less true now than it ever was.
Lee Hamilton, 92, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.
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