Bioscience Center Expanding at Farmingdale State College

Political, academic and business leaders on Monday officially welcomed OSI Pharmaceuticals as the anchor tenant of the Broad Hollow Bioscience Park on the campus of .

Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy praised the public-private efforts of those who'd worked to ensure that OSI, a subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Incorporated, could expand and remain on Long Island.

"The people of Long Island stand to benefit from the partnership of Farmingdale State and OSI," he said, noting it'd produce jobs.

Speakers also cited the potential for more jobs, particularly for young people, plus expanded educational opportunities and a greater presence of bioscience companies.

Farmingdale State College President W. Hubert Keen said, "The larger the cluster [of biotechnology companies], the more successful the venture. We hope to see it expand."

He said the next step would be to expand into a third building.

The center's been on the college campus since 2002. At one point, under its previous owner, it began moving operations to Westchester County.

Local Lindenhurst legislator State Senator , R-Merrick said the park would mean, "Jobs grow here, and they don't leave here.

"The move will result in hundreds of high-tech jobs for Long Islanders, and 10s of millions of dollars in payroll for the region," he continued.

Fuschillo worked closely with Lindy-based , D-Lindenhurst, to produce the legislation that allowed for this expansion.

Students were among the crowd of dignitaries who gathered Monday.

Yulia Llanto, a Farmingdale senior majoring in bioscience, said, "I hope to get a job someday" in the field.

And Synthia Gratia, a Farmingdale graduate who's working with a scientist on plant biology studies, said, "It's a privilege to be here, to see all these important people."