REIMAGINING THE ROAD AHEAD Students are taking more online classes than ever before, yet hands-on learning has taken on new importance. Numbers of traditional-aged students are declining, while FLCC’s nursing and horticulture programs are growing. The College’s new facilities master plan makes sense of these seeming paradoxes with a vision for re-organizing buildings and operations in ways that work for students and the community. Here are a few examples. Making the most of Muller Over the next year, renovations at the FLCC Muller Field Station at the south end of Honeoye Lake will allow for more immersive experiences in the wooded and wetland habitats at the 48-acre site. A combined grant of $1.65 million from the Florence M. Muller Foundation and the Emil Muller Foundation and a dollar-fordollar state match will pay for construction of a 20-person handicap accessible bunkhouse. Current overnight accommodations are limited, meaning research, field experience classes, and outdoor activities have to halt at the end of the day so participants can drive home. It’s a trek from anywhere given the field station’s location 20 miles from Canandaigua and nearly 50 miles from the farthest reaches of the FLCC service area of Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties. “Really rich experiences can happen there when people can settle in for a longer stay,” said Maura Sullivan, associate professor and director of the field station. Faculty from SUNY Brockport would like to bring students down to assist with efforts to protect spotted salamanders. The visits haven’t been practical because that work happens at night during the amphibians’ migration from the hills into the wetlands, “Over the past couple years, we've gotten a lot of asks from other institutions. SUNY Empire State University would like to offer a field camp there,” Maura added. “We see a lot of opportunities for partnerships with other schools.” Patricia Leo, executive director of the Muller foundations, said a bunkhouse has come up at strategic planning sessions for several years. “We are all thrilled to see this long-desired enhancement coming to fruition,” she said. “The Florence M. Muller Foundation and the Emil Muller Foundation are immensely proud of the high-quality education and research conducted at the Muller Field Station and are excited for the opportunities that the addition of the bunkhouse and accessibility improvements will bring.” FLCC Muller Field Station conceptual rendering by PLAN Architectural Studio, PC, showing proposed bunkhouse in brown siding president’s report to the community
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