U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer toured the Hancock Center at Marist College, where he announced that he would be seeking federal funding to help finance a construction project that would create the New York Cloud Computer Center at the college. Schumer is seeking funding for the $3.5 million dollar project in hopes to spearhead the project while creating over 3,000 local jobs in the process.

Marist has partnered with IBM to drive an effort to build a cloud-computing center on campus. While the project has attracted substantial private investments and has received about $2 million in federal funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the center is still millions away from being completed.

Cloud computing marks a major shift in how computer services are delivered to its users. It provides services that work over a network in a self-service and on-demand manner. It allows for multiple people to access data from anywhere and from any computer. It also connects data to multiple devices keeping business associates and employees up to speed with others progress.

“Cloud computing at Marist isn’t just pie in the sky, it means jobs on the ground in Dutchess County,” said Schumer. “This incredible project tapes two of the Hudson Valley’s greatest resources, IBM and Marist, in a tandem effort to create hundreds of jobs in one of the fastest-growing high tech sectors in around,” said Schumer.

Schumer noted the extensive benefits that if such an IT center was to be completed. The center would support IBM, and other large, established companies and operations, to assure their continued growth and leadership in the nation.

Schumer said he is pushing to get federal funding because he believes these two companies could become technology leaders. “The Hudson Valley is a proven leader when it comes to growing IT businesses, we need to make sure that the future of cloud computing happens here in Dutchess County. The federal government should invest in this project that, simply put, has endless possibilities,” said Schumer.