SUNY Adirondack hosts Open House for new hemp program

QUEENSBURY, New York (July 10, 2023) — SUNY Adirondack offers an Open House event for its new hemp microcredential programs at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 19.

SUNY Adirondack is one of four SUNY colleges included in a million-dollar statewide initiative to create and enhance credential programs and course offerings that provide pathways to employment in the cannabis industry. Schenectady County Community College, Columbia-Greene Community College and Fulton-Montgomery Community College are partners in the project.

The Open House will include a tour of SUNY Adirondack’s hemp-growing facilities with Tommy Dinolli, Farm manager, and Tim Scherbatskoy, professor of Biology, and a roundtable discussion featuring Corinne Klewsaat, director of Cultivation at Etain; Mike Doyle of Cannasigliere Consulting; and James McGowan of Greencare Collective.

"I am excited for the opportunities these new courses in cannabis and hemp will offer students," said Kim Feeney London, assistant professor of Business. "Students want to learn more about the opportunities in this booming industry and employers in the region are looking for a knowledgeable and competitive workforce as the industry expands." 

SUNY Adirondack will offer five new credit courses, including how to grow hemp, how to harvest and prepare hemp for processing, history of cannabis in society, and cannabis entrepreneurship and marketing classes. 

"The Office of Continuing Education is excited to partner with the Science and Business divisions to offer community members the opportunity to get involved in a fast-growing profession," said Susan Corlew, director Continuing Education and Workforce Innovation at SUNY Adirondack. "These new courses are a perfect complement to the agricultural work already being done on the college farm."

By taking four courses, participants can earn a microcredential — a short, focused credential designed to provide in-demand skills, know-how and experience. SUNY Adirondack will offer Cannabis & Hemp Cultivation and Cannabis Business and Entrepreneurship microcredentials.

Both microcredentials include the classes Marketing New York’s Agricultural Products and Cannabis: A journey through History, Society & Policy. The Cultivation pathway includes Harvesting and Intro to Processing and Introduction to Sustainable Cultivation. The Entrepreneurship pathway includes Principles of Entrepreneurship and The Business of Cannabis & Hemp. 

The microcredentials are “stackable” — count toward associate degrees — in Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship; Liberal Arts and Sciences: Individual Studies; Liberal Arts and Sciences: Mathematics and Science; and Agricultural Business. Some classes are offered online and others in a hybrid model (partly online and partly in person). Learn more at https://www.sunyacc.edu/programs-courses/microcredentials.

"Those with agricultural or business backgrounds can use our microcrendential programs to become new cannabis entrepreneurs, while new students can hone new skills and understanding of the cannabis industry," Feeney London said. "Our courses will provide hands-on plant knowledge as well as an opportunity to connect with industry experts and allow for our students to stay up to date on the changing cannabis climate in New York state."

New York State Department of Health estimates the fast-developing cannabis industry will grow to be between $1.7 billion and $3.5 billion annually. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, a $1.7 billion industry can generate an economic output of $4.1 billion and more than 30,000 jobs, and attract hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investment.

To register for the Open House event, please visit https://form.jotform.com/231873486226059.