Orange County approves $30 million first phase of SUNY Orange campus overhaul

Orange County lawmakers approved $29,950,000 to launch the first phase of SUNY Orange’s campus overhaul, putting taxpayer money behind a 10- to 12-year plan that officials say could ultimately reach about $211 million. The unanimous vote on the Phase 1 Facilities Master Plan moves the county into the design and early buildout of a project meant to reshape both the Middletown and Newburgh campuses.

County agenda materials from March put the first phase at $59,900,000, with the cost split evenly between Orange County and the State of New York. The county’s share now secured, the college can proceed with the early work on a master plan that has been in discussion since the legislature’s education and economic development committee reviewed the updated proposal in September 2025.

County Executive Steven Neuhaus has cast the project as a workforce decision as much as a facilities project, saying the goal is to align classroom space with the jobs the region is trying to attract, especially in health care, information technology, cybersecurity and related fields. SUNY Orange’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan makes a similar argument, saying the college is responding to changing community needs and will be measured by increased access to, participation in and completion of academic programs and support services.

In Middletown, the first phase would shift the Computer Science and Technology Department from the Bio-Tech Building to Harriman Hall, while Education and Criminal Justice would move to Hudson Hall. Those relocations would open additional room for nursing and dental hygiene programs, two areas tied directly to regional labor demand and long-running staffing shortages.

In Newburgh, the plan calls for upgrades to Kaplan Hall and the Tower Building, along with an expanded SUNY Orange Plus footprint and improvements to the plaza and walkway connecting the two buildings. SUNY Orange Plus is the college’s workforce-training and continuing-education arm, covering certification training, English as a Second Language, high school equivalency, community education and Orange County FoodTEC. That makes the Newburgh work especially important for adult learners and employers seeking short-term training options.

The overhaul also comes during a milestone year for the college. SUNY Orange was founded in 1950 as the first county-sponsored community college in New York, and it marked its 75th anniversary during the 2024-25 academic year. The current plan builds on earlier investment, including a renovated Newburgh nursing lab and a spring 2024 expansion of the nursing program by 50 percent, when 24 additional students were added. That lab work included a six-bed simulation laboratory in Kaplan Hall.

For Orange County, the question now is whether a more modern physical campus will translate into stronger enrollment, more job training and a deeper regional talent pipeline. The county is betting that SUNY Orange can do all three, while also helping keep downtown Middletown and Newburgh active as campus traffic, construction and student life shape both city centers.