CAZENOVIA — The New York State Police officially entered into an agreement with Cazenovia College to lease a large portion of the college campus for use as its new NYS Police Basic School Auxiliary Academy that will run concurrently with the NYS Police Training Academy in Albany.

The two-year lease begins Aug. 1, 2023, and includes the buildings that make up the main college campus, as well as the athletic center.

According to a July 19 press release from the Cazenovia College Office of Communications, a separate management company will be contracted to maintain the campus buildings and grounds and operate the dining facility. To provide these services, the company will be hiring staff, including current and former Cazenovia College employees.

Additional information regarding employment opportunities will be available soon, the press release said.

“We are pleased that we were able to arrange the lease with the state police and avoid having the campus vacant for a period of time,” said Kenneth Gardiner, chair of the Cazenovia College Board of Trustees, in the press release. “The fact that they are hiring several of our employees is an added bonus. On behalf of the board of trustees, I’d like to express our appreciation to Cazenovia College President David Bergh and his leadership team who worked diligently the past weeks and months to make this happen.”

The first class at the Cazenovia auxiliary academy is slated to start in mid-October 2023.

In the press release, Village of Cazenovia Mayor Kurt Wheeler welcomed the NYS Police to the Cazenovia community.

“This is a positive step in the repurposing of the college campus for ongoing educational and training use while at the same time providing a two-year window for further exploration of a more permanent transition of the campus at the heart of our village,” Wheeler said.

According to a press release from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, the auxiliary academy is part of the governor’s plan to fund an unprecedented number of Basic School classes.

Hochul secured more than $66 million in the Fiscal Year 2024 Enacted Budget to fund two additional state police classes.

The leased space at Cazenovia College can accommodate up to 275 recruits and 115 instructors. The firearms training and emergency vehicle operations courses will continue to be held at their present locations.

“With this additional auxiliary academy at Cazenovia College, we can help ensure that the New York State Police is fully staffed with highly trained women and men to keep New Yorkers safe – a top priority for my administration,” Hochul said in the press release. “This expansion will also create opportunities for more candidates, which will support the state police’s mission to diversify and grow its ranks. We’re excited to welcome the academy’s first class in October as they prepare to serve our communities.”

According to the governor’s office, the expansion will not only accelerate the rebuilding of the force and increase the number of NYS Troopers, but it will also allow the state police to increase the number of Community Stabilization Units around the NY from 16 to 25. Additionally, it will bolster trooper participation in local and federal task forces like the Gilgo Beach Homicide Task Force, a multi-agency investigation unit whose work led to the arrest earlier this month of a suspect in a series of previously unsolved murders on Long Island.

“This auxiliary academy is vital to our efforts in growing our ranks and training the most qualified candidates possible to protect the people of New York State,” said Acting New York State Police Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli in the press release. “We have traveled across the state over the last seven months, and explored multiple locations, and we feel the Cazenovia College campus provides a central location within New York and is best suited to meet the needs of our Basic School training. We thank Governor Hochul for her continued support and unprecedented investment in initiatives like this that strengthen our public safety efforts.”

Additional information regarding the use of the Cazenovia College campus as an auxiliary academy and about applying to become a NYS Trooper is available on the governor’s website at governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-site-new-york-state-police-basic-school-auxiliary-academy.

Cazenovia College was founded in 1824. In Dec. 2022, the institution announced that it would not be enrolling students for the Fall 2023 semester. In May 2023, the college held its 198th and final commencement ceremony, and on June 30, 2023, the college officially closed. For more information, visit cazenovia.edu.