POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess Community College (DCC) is asking the county legislature to spend $163 million on upgrades to meet the school’s programs and sustain growth.

 The county legislature’s Budget and Finance Committee discussed the proposal on Thursday that will be up for voting in November.

DCC’s enrollment has increased for the third consecutive year, with a significant portion of this growth attributed to adult students, as well as programs that can lead to high-paying careers. 

One of the largest upgrades proposed in the five-to-six-year construction plan was to the nursing program. At the moment, the nursing program is at capacity with the four labs they have available. With such a high demand for nurses, the plans call for an additional seven labs, nearly tripling their capacity for nursing students.

Not only is DCC looking at how they have grown, but it are also searching for opportunities to grow the college in all respects, according to school officials. Scott Schnackenberg, VP of Enrollment and Student Success, said liberal arts colleges around the region are cutting programs and that this also gives DCC the opportunity to grow even further by offering additional liberal arts programs to students. 

The plan includes a large upgrade to the existing theater to support arts programs as well as to host events and performances open to the entire county.

“We believe that Dutchess Community College is an economic driver in the region and that an investment in the college is an investment in the county,” said Schnackenberg.

DCC met with 40 firms to discuss the design process for all of these upgrades. Of the 40 firms, 16 put in bids, and of those 16, eight were interviewed by a DCC committee. The interviews resulted in a list of three finalists. The DCC Board of Trustees is to choose a design firm on October 28, 2025.

The plan also comes from the lack of investment or any sort of improvement to the college grounds in the last two decades. “The renovations and addition to Dutchess Hall support the college’s goal of growing credit enrollment headcount over the next decade. This project will provide fresh and reconfigured spaces to the outdated facilities, such as the theater,” wrote Dennis Dintino, VP of Finance and Administration, in a letter to County Executive Susan Serino.

Construction for the project is proposed to begin in January 2027 and be completed by 2033.