Distance Learning for NY Food and Farm Workers Supported By Renovation of Cornell AgriTech

Long a central hub for research and innovation related to New York State’s food and beverage industries, Cornell AgriTech is growing to offer even more opportunities to these industries. A recent $3.5 million renovation of Jordan Hall on the Cornell AgriTech campus in Geneva, NY brought great expansions in digital technology tools that can be used to better support distance learning initiatives.

Supported by funds from the State Construction Fund, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, and Cornell CALS, the recent renovation includes improvements for fire safety, disability accommodations, and ventilation. Most notably, the renovation will facilitate cross-communication between experts in NYS’s food and beverage industries while also opening up opportunities for NYS food and farm workers. 

“[The] sky is the limit with the ways Cornell can diversify the modes of educational opportunities for busy professionals,” Ben Houlton, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) said at the official ribbon-cutting event unveiling the newly-renovated hall.

The potentials offered by this renovation are already projected to have long-term benefits on the local agricultural economy, too, according to NYS Senator Pamela Helming. 

“Jordan Hall opens another phenomenal resource to farm, food and beverage entrepreneurs, and will ultimately support further business and job growth in the Finger Lakes, the Grow-NY region and New York state.”

Ultimately, according to Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, Chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, the creation of stronger partnerships between researchers, entrepreneurs, and farmers alike from this renovation will better position New York State to tap into the potential of its food and agricultural community.

Read more about Cornell AgriTech’s recent renovation on CALS News.