NCCC hosting first SUNY Cannabis Conference
Niagara County Community College will be hosting the first cannabis conference on a State University of New York campus, covering the “seed to sale” lifespan in the cannabis business.
It will take place starting at 9 a.m. on Jan. 10 in the campus dining commons and dining room. Brian Michel, the assistant vice president of Academic Affairs and Economic Development, said the all-day event is provisioned for 300 guests with tickets nearly sold out.
“It gives us the opportunity to showcase our curriculum, facilities and assets on campus,” Michel said.
NCCC was the lead agency on a consortium grant application with Erie Community College, Jamestown Community College, and Genesee Community College, where it received a $1 million SUNY cannabis workforce grant back in July. It was part of $5 million awarded to community colleges in the SUNY and CUNY system to create or enhance short-term credential programs or course offerings that provide pathways to employment in the cannabis industry.
Part of the grant the NCCC consortium received was to hold this conference on an annual basis. It would also allow the four community colleges serving the nine counties of Western New York to create their own cannabis curriculum independently of one another.
NCCC has offered courses as part of a cannabis curriculum since 2019, currently having eight classes that cover the whole process from cultivation to harvesting, processing, and retail. The classes also advise students on the various legalities associated with the whole marijuana process. These classes can also be taken on a non-credit/non-degree basis through the NCCC Office of Workforce Development.
“We have a lot of folks who want to learn about it, but don’t want to be a college student again,” Michel said. “They’re happy to cherry-pick classes without committing to the program.”
The conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, the medical director of the DENT Neurological Institute and professor of neurology and oncology at the University at Buffalo. He will speak about his experiences working with medical marijuana and the breakthroughs he has witnessed. Other speakers represent different fields in the cannabis industry and education.
“We try to structure the conference to have something for everyone,” Michel said. “We have presentations geared up for those who are budding entrepreneurs, and some for curious onlookers who don’t know much about cannabis. We expect to have the general public co-mingle with the student body.
Along with the speakers, there will also be ice sculptures, a vendor hall and the culinary institute will provide catering and cooking with cannabis demonstrations.
“We expect this to be a permanent fixture in the program for years to come,” Michel said.
Tickets for the conference are still available through the NCCC website.
