POUGHKEEPSIE- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo addressed an overflow crowd in the Nelly Goletti Theatre on Tuesday, the second time that the governor has chosen Marist College as the site of his regional State of the State remarks. "Marist is proud to be a resource for our local, regional, and state officials," said Executive Vice President Geoffrey Brackett, who introduced the governor. "Providing a platform for important community discussion is one of the many ways that the College fulfills its mission and pursues the ideals handed down to us by the Marist Brothers: excellence in education, a sense of community, and a commitment to service."

In his speech, Cuomo provided the audience with an overview of his budget plan and touched on key issues for residents of the Mid-Hudson region, including the cost of living, education, tourism, and high-tech training for workers. The governor's emphasis on leveraging technology transfer between academia and industry to spur economic development was especially resonant here at Marist, with its long and growing record of industry partnerships, according to Vice President and Chief Information Officer Bill Thirsk.

Gov. Cuomo meets with (from left) Marist Poll Director Barbara Carvalho, VP for Academic Affairs Thomas Wermuth, MIPO Director Lee Miringoff, and Exec. VP Geoff Brackett prior to delivering his regional State of the State address at Marist

"For nearly three decades, Marist has worked in partnership with IBM to help design and implement the architecture for cloud computing on high-performance computing platforms," said Thirsk. “Marist also works to help incubate local businesses and serves as a research center for leading technology companies like Brocade, Juniper, and Adva. These are precisely the kind of partnerships that Governor Cuomo has launched and backed throughout New York. Like the governor, Marist recognizes that these partnerships are critical to a 21st-century economy."

The governor’s vision of creating and retaining high-tech, high-paying jobs in the area also appealed to Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro. "It’s all about creating economic opportunity so that we don't have to argue over the lowest end of the wage, but rather ensure there is great opportunity and prosperity for anyone seeking a job," he said.

Claire Mooney ’14 speaks with Gov. Cuomo following his regional State of the State address at Marist

Among the more than 300 community stakeholders who attended the event were many Marist faculty members and students. “I brought my Contemporary Political Theory students to the address to take advantage of this unique educational opportunity,” said JoAnne Myers, associate professor of political science. “Events like this one help our students see the real world implications of the political trends and theories they study in the classroom.”

More than 50 Marist students were among those who listened to the governor’s speech, either in the Nelly Goletti Theatre or the Student Center Cabaret, where the event was streamed live. "It's exciting that in the four years I've been at Marist, this was my second opportunity to hear Governor Cuomo speak," said Student Government Association President Paul DiBlasi ’13. "I'm particularly grateful that the governor took the time to meet and interact with Marist students after the event."