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As a resident of Syracuse for 17 years, Mike Haynie said the central New York economy has not been “inclusive” for decades. But with Micron Technology’s historic investment in the central New York region, Haynie — Syracuse University’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation — said he is now excited for the “first time in a long time” about the economic opportunity for his community.

Haynie managed SU’s engagement with Micron as early as November 2021 — 11 months before the semiconductor manufacturing company announced it would invest up to $100 billion in the Syracuse region. After representatives of Micron first visited the university in January 2022, Haynie said SU “set the groundwork” for a partnership.

“For Micron to be successful, everyone realized that Micron needed an academic partner, and we were going to position Syracuse University as that academic partner,” Haynie said.

In preparation for Micron’s arrival, SU is expanding the College of Engineering and Computer Science as part of the new Academic Strategic Plan — a roadmap of goals the university aims to implement by 2028.

The process of creating the new ASP began in September 2022, a month before Micron announced its investment in the region. Gretchen Ritter, SU’s vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, said the ASP drafting process was designed to be responsive to the “broader environment,” and Micron was a “big factor” that influenced the university’s plan.

In October 2022, Micron announced it would commit up to $100 billion to construct a new semiconductor fabrication facility in Clay, approximately 11 miles away from SU’s main campus. The new facility is expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs in central New York — 9,000 jobs at the plant and an additional 40,000 jobs in the supply chain and construction industries, according to Micron.

Micron’s investment will “transform” the Syracuse region, multiple SU administrators said.

“There’s a real appreciation that this is a transformative moment for the central New York community … and that we should be good partners in this, both for the benefit of the university and for the benefit of the broader community,” Ritter said.

In preparation for meeting the demand for jobs with Micron’s investment, the university is planning to increase undergraduate enrollment in ECS by at least 50%, add 50 new faculty members and increase research expenditures by 100%, according to the ASP.

Transfer students will make up for approximately half of the growth in undergraduate enrollment for ECS, Ritter said. There are currently 1,460 undergraduate students in ECS, according to a university spokesperson.

Link Hall — which houses ECS — will also be renovated. As part of the Forever Orange campaign, SU announced a $2.15 million investment to construct a new student center in the building, which will be located in its Center for Science and Technology.

The university initially planned to expand engineering programs prior to Micron’s arrival, Ritter said, but Micron’s anticipated investment “helped to accelerate that commitment.”

“If we were going to have that weight and that heft to be able to really have a transformative impact in this region, and more broadly, that was one of the things that we needed to do,” Ritter said.

Ritter said SU will continue to focus on creating a diverse science, technology, engineering and math workforce to help. Engineers, computer scientists and STEM specialists remain a huge national need, which ECS Dean J. Cole Smith said gives SU students “a bigger menu to choose from.”

“You’re gonna have internships and opportunities right here within Syracuse, and students that want to stay and work locally and grow this economy, because they love the area, will be able to do that,” Smith said.

Another preparation route SU took was the formation of the Northeast University Semiconductor Network in April 2023 along with 20 other higher education institutions to invest in education and training for the industry’s new workforce.

Funding through partnerships with Micron and the National Science Foundation will help to create pathways to train this emerging 21st-century workforce, Duncan Brown, SU vice president for research and Charles Brightman endowed physics professor, said.

Brown said Micron’s investment is a moment the central New York region hasn’t seen in decades.

“We’ve seen what happens when jobs leave a region. We saw that with the decline not just in Syracuse, but across what is termed the Rust Belt,” Brown said. “We haven’t seen what happens when jobs come back.”

Micron is aiming to begin site preparation on the new facility this year. Micron will receive an additional $6.1 billion in federal funding to build the facility in Clay, syracuse.com first reported on April 18.

President Joe Biden will visit the city of Syracuse Thursday to discuss the impacts of the CHIPS and Science Act — a bill he signed in August 2022 that aimed to incentivize companies like Micron to invest in domestic semiconductor manufacturing.

Haynie said the arrival of Micron will “change everything” for central New York. With demand increasing for a new workforce and the opportunity for economic development, Smith said he’s never been a part of something that has the potential to do more for the central New York region than Micron’s investment.

“The transformation of the entire region is what supplies so many wonderful opportunities for our students,” Smith said. “I’m really excited to see it happen because I know it’s going to happen.”

Published on April 25, 2024 at 1:01 am

Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2