The facility, which will cost $2.68 million to build, will house state-of-the-art classrooms for a cooperative program between Purchase College and Long Island University. LIU, which is underwriting the project, will relocate its Westchester Graduate Campus to the site and use the classrooms in the evenings for its mostly adult commuter students, university officials say. Work is set for completion in spring 2001.

During the construction phase, LIU will house its Westchester Campus operations in temporary space at Purchase College and in nearby Rye Brook. The center will feature 14 “smart” classrooms wired for computers and the Internet and will have two computer labs. A large entrance lobby enclosed by full-height glass will also be equipped with data and power facilities for Internet connections and will serve as an informal meeting area.

Officials with both schools note that although the two institutions will share space at the new learning center, they will operate completely independently of one another.