During his State of the State address on Jan. 8, Cuomo mentioned creating a state-run college focused on emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity.
Cuomo also brought up the idea during a presentation to Vice President Joe Biden earlier in the week. "I believe this is going to be a need in the future," Cuomo said at the event, reported the Auburn Citizen. "I believe it's going to be growing, and we want to have the first college.”
The college’s exact location wasn’t discussed, but state Sen. John DeFrancisco told The Post-Standard that he has been talking about creating a joint State University of New York/Syracuse University campus in Syracuse. DeFrancisco added that the idea came from watching Syracuse University create its Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, and he has been discussing the need for an emergency management and homeland security college with Cuomo’s staff and Syracuse University representatives.
During the State of the State address, Cuomo said Ray Kelly, former New York City police commissioner, will help establish the education institution. "Believe it or not, there is no such college," Cuomo said. "I believe this is a field that is only going to grow. Unfortunately it's only going to get worse. And we want this college right here in the state of New York, training our people and training others from around the country."
