New Paltz Classical School (1828–1833) New Paltz Academy (1833–1884) New Paltz Normal School (1885–1942) State Teachers College at New Paltz (1942–1959) State University College of Education at New Paltz (1959–1961)[1] State University of New York College of Arts and Science New Paltz (1961–1994)[2]
The State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz or New Paltz) is a public university in New Paltz, New York. It traces its origins to the New Paltz Classical School, a secondary institution founded in 1828 and reorganized as an academy in 1833.[6]
The university's origins can be traced back to the New Paltz Classical School, which originally opened in 1828. After changing its name to the New Paltz Academy in 1833, the school was decimated by a fire in 1884, after which the school offered their land to the state government of New York contingent upon the establishment of a normal school.
In 1885, one year after the fire, the New Paltz Normal and Training School, or New Paltz Normal School, was established to prepare teachers to practice their professions in the public schools of New York. It was granted the ability to award baccalaureate degrees in 1938, after which it was renamed as the State Teachers College at New Paltz; the inaugural class of 112 students graduated in 1942. In 1947, a graduate program in education was established.
When the State University of New York was established by legislative act in 1948, the Teachers College at New Paltz was one of 30 colleges associated under SUNY's umbrella. An art education program was added in 1951. The school experienced another name change in 1959, becoming the State University College of Education at New Paltz. One year later, in 1960, the college was authorized to confer liberal arts degrees. Just one year after that, in 1961, the school updated its name yet again, to the State University of New York College of Arts and Science at New Paltz.
Van den Berg Hall is the second-oldest building on campus. Today it is the home to the business program.
Amid this tumult, the college's general education program (including then-vanguard introductory surveys of African and Asian cultures) was eliminated in 1971; a distribution requirement was re-instituted in 1993. A program in African American studies was established in 1968. Three years later, the experimental studies program (reorganized as the innovative studies program in 1975) began to enroll students, instructors, and local residents in credited and cocurricular courses that encompassed myriad disciplines, including video art (under Paul Ryan), dance therapy, clowning, camping, and ecodesign. Instructors in the program were hired by students and compensated through student activity fees. A 4-acre (1.6ha) environmental studies site operated by students and community members under the aegis of the program at the southern periphery of the campus included geodesic domes, windmills, kilns, a solar-powered house funded by the Department of Energy, and more inchoate variants of sustainable architecture. Upon ascending to the college presidency in 1980, Alice Chandler characterized the edifices as "shacks and hovels" and abolished the program in the early 1980s, demolishing most of the site in the process.[7]
Under Chandler's leadership, the college began to offer professional degree programs in nursing, engineering, journalism, and accounting.[8] The Legislative Gazette, a journalism and political science internship in which students live and work in Albany and produce a weekly newspaper about state politics, was established in 1978.
The pond, with Esopus Hall in the background
On December 29, 1991, the campus was the scene of a widely reported PCB incident that contaminated four dormitories (Bliss, Gage, Capen and Scudder halls), as well as the Coykendall Science Building and Parker Theatre. Under the direction of the county and state health departments, the university began a massive, thorough cleanup effort. As an additional precaution, 29 other buildings were thoroughly tested and, if necessary, cleaned. The clean-up process lasted until May 1995. Since 1994, PCBs have not been used on the SUNY New Paltz campus.[9]
The college was rebranded as the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1994.[10]
In November 1997, two events on campus attracted nationwide media attention. The first, a feminist conference on sex and sexuality sponsored by the women's studies department entitled "Revolting Behavior: The Challenges of Women's Sexual Freedom", featured an instructional workshop on sex toys offered by a Manhattan sex shop proprietor and a lecture panel on sadomasochism ("Safe, Sane and ConsensualS/M: An Alternate Way of Loving").[11] The second, a seminar entitled "Subject to Desire: Refiguring the Body", was sponsored by the School of Fine and Performing Arts. One presenter, Fluxus performance artist and longtime New Paltz resident Carolee Schneemann, was best known for Interior Scroll (1975), a piece that culminated in her unrolling a scroll from her vagina and reading it to the audience; at the seminar, Schneemann exhibited[12] abstract photographs of her vagina as part of Vulva's Morphia (1995), "a visceral sequence of photographs and text in which a Vulvic personification presents an ironic analysis juxtaposing slides and text to undermine Lacanian semiotics, gender issues, Marxism, the male art establishment, religious and cultural taboos."[13]
The Excelsior Concourse, one of the busiest parts of campus
Political conservatives were outraged that a public university had hosted such events, and Governor George Pataki and SUNY chancellor Robert King expressed their displeasure. The controversy escalated when the theatre arts department staged The Vagina Monologues shortly afterwards. The college's then-president, Roger Bowen, defended freedom of expression on campus and refused to apologize, doing little to allay conservative ire. "The real issue," he said, "is whether some ideologues, however well-intentioned, have the right to dictate what we say and what we do on this campus." SUNY trustee Candace de Russy called for him to be dismissed.[14] Bowen later resigned.[15]
In 2023, the institution was officially reclassified as a university by the State University of New York. The change took effect January 1, 2023, exactly seventy-five years after the SUNY system was founded; New Paltz was a founding member.[16][17]
Campus
Atrium of the Student Union Building, opened in 2010Inside the Atrium
The SUNY New Paltz campus consists of about 216 acres (87ha) in the small town of New Paltz, New York. There are 14 residence halls, centered mostly in two quads. The main campus has two dozen academic buildings, including the Haggerty Administration Building, a lecture hall, Old Main, Sojourner Truth Library, one main dining hall, the Student Union Building, Science Hall and extensive gymnasium and sports areas.
SUNY New Paltz has undergone extensive construction projects since 2008, totaling nearly $300 million,[19] including:
Renovation of Hasbrouck complex residence halls (ongoing)
Student Union Building addition: "The Atrium" (completed fall 2010)
Old Main renovation (completed spring 2011)
The Concourse landscaping/renovation (completed fall 2011)
Hasbrouck Quad landscaping/renovation (completed fall 2011)
Construction of Mohonk Walk (completed summer 2012)
Ridgeview Hall (completed summer 2015)
Sojourner Truth Library renovation (completed fall 2015)
Wooster Science Building renovation (completed summer 2016)
Construction of Science Hall, a new science building (completed winter 2017)[20]
Engineering Innovation Hub (completed fall 2019)
Campus theaters
SUNY at New Paltz contains three on-campus theaters.
McKenna Theater
McKenna Theatre is a fully equipped proscenium theatre, with seating for 366. The theater is named in honor of Dr. Rebecca McKenna, professor of English and drama and the founder of the theatre arts program at New Paltz. At the rear of the theater is a sound booth for digital audio equipment which has the capabilities to play back, mix, and amplify audio. There is also a lighting booth with a computerized light board (controlling over 200 dimmers) and LCD video projection equipment behind the audience (and upstairs). There are 32 line sets in the fly space above the stage. There is also a scene shop behind the stage, storage area for scenery, a paint shop, and other technical facilities.[21]
Parker Theater
College Hall, home to the Max and Nadia Shepard Recital Hall, and the oldest residence hall on campus
The building was originally built as a dining hall. Parker was then converted to a theatre venue and teaching space. In 1972 it was made into a theatre production facility. The building was renovated in 1994, featuring a modified thrust stage surrounded by a three-quarter audience configuration seating up to 200 people. In the rear are lighting and sound booths with computerized light board (controlling over 90 dimmers) and digital audio equipment. To both sides of the stage are performance studio spaces. Classes are offered in acting, voice, movement, and musical theatre. On the same floor of the theater are a costume studio, dressing rooms, costume maintenance, storage facilities, and faculty offices.[21]
Parker Theatre was built in 1962. It houses the Raymond T. Kurdt Theatrical Design Collection, one of the most significant collections of original costume and set designs in the nation.
Max and Nadia Shepard Recital Hall
Max and Nadia Shepard Recital Hall is located in College Hall, the oldest residence hall on campus. Built in 1951, it is a landmark, and is the closest hall to the village of New Paltz.[22] Its basement, now used primarily for storage, was built as a fallout shelter, and was stocked as such until the 1980s. The only remaining remnant are the "fallout toilets".[23]
The facility contains 125 seats and is named in honor of patrons of the performing arts programs at SUNY New Paltz. The hall offers a delicate setting for student recitals and chamber music performances. The rear of the hall contains a small studio equipped with Pro-tools HD and a Control 24 sound board used for recording professional performances.[21]
Max and Nadia Shepard Recital Hall is an important facility for the community. It hosts many recitals and is an integral part of the Piano Summer program.[24]
Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
At the center of campus is the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, which opened in 2001. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space in six galleries, the Dorsky is one of the largest art museums in the SUNY system.[25] The East Wing includes the Morgan Anderson Gallery, Howard Greenberg Family Gallery, Sara Bedrick Gallery, and the Corridor Gallery, and the West Wing includes the Alice and Horace Chandler Gallery and the North Gallery. The Dorsky's permanent collection comprises more than 7,000 works of American Art (with emphasis on the Hudson Valley and Catskill Regions), 19th, 20th and 21st century photography, metals, and a "world collection" of art and artifacts dating back to ancient times and representing diverse cultures. Through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, the Dorsky supports and enriches the academic programs at the college, presents a broad range of world art for study and enjoyment, and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture.[26] The Dorsky's facilities include research and seminar rooms for visitors, students and professors at SUNY New Paltz.
Student life
Athletics
SUNY New Paltz teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Hawks are a member of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming & diving, volleyball and lacrosse; women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball.
For the first time in program history, New Paltz men’s volleyball team captured the NCAA Division III Tournament title in 2016. The win also marked the first NCAA title for any New Paltz team.[27] Three years later, they defeated UC Santa Cruz to win their second championship in the sport and second for the school overall.[28]
Clubs and traditions
The quad at SUNY New Paltz
The student governance is operated by the Student Association, which funds most student activities through a mandatory fee. There are many clubs, fraternities, and sororities. Clubs that are recognized by the Student Association are organized into one of six boards: academic, advocacy, athletic, fine and performing arts, media, and social and cultural.[29] There is also an on-campus government, the Residence Hall Student Association (RHSA).[30][31]
The college has an auxiliary services corporation common to many state campuses in New York, called Campus Auxiliary Services, Inc. This on-campus company operates the dining halls and bookstore, as well as being the source of discretionary funds for spending by the college president and the RHSA.[32]
The college has a foundation and an active alumni association.[33]
The Center for Student Media at SUNY New Paltz consists of six clubs in the organization:[34]
The college's official student newspaper is The Oracle. In 2010, it was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists for having the Best Affiliated Website for four-year college or university (Region 1 competition). It was named as a runner-up for the National Title.
The campus TV station was WNPC TV. It has since become Hawk Studios, a video production club which makes short films and TV shows.
The college's radio station, WFNP, is known as "The Edge". It broadcasts part-time at FM 88.7, and also streams online.[35]
There is also the New Paltz Music Collective, The Fahari Libertad, and The Teller.
Greek life
Recognized fraternities and sororities at the university include:[36]
There were several student-led demonstrations in the late 1960s and early 1970s, primarily against the Vietnam War. In the spring of 1967, a sit-in protesting military recruitment on campus blocked the entrance to the Student Union for two days. While there were scores of demonstrators the first day, all but 13 dispersed before New York State Troopers arrived and bodily carried the demonstrators to a waiting school bus for a trip to court. In the fall of 1968, students rallied in support of Craig Pastor (now Craig DeYong) who had been arrested by New Paltz Village Police for desecration of the American flag which he was wearing as a superhero cape in a student film directed by Edward Falco. College President John J. Neumaier posted bail. Pastor was released and charges were dropped.[citation needed]
The Cambodian Campaign and concomitant Kent State shootings in May 1970 led to a protest that culminated in a five-day student occupation of the Administration Building, subsequently renamed Old Main after the opening of the Haggerty Administration Building two years later. A March 1974 sit-in at the Haggerty Building reacted against perceived discriminatory hiring practices, the state-mandated reintegration of Shango Hall (which then housed underrepresented students), and the threatened cessation of the experimental studies program in the wake of a budget shortfall.[37]
Protests at the university over the Israel-Hamas War began in early 2024. On February 28, 2024, members of the Israeli Defense Forces were invited to campus by the Jewish Student Union with the assistance of the New Paltz chapter of Students Supporting Israel, to discuss their experiences serving, as well as their opinions of the war. In response a protest rally was organized by New Paltz Students for Palestine, in which over 150 students, alumni, and activists protested during and after the event.[38] Following the event and the protest, President Wheeler released a statement, saying, "I write today to share a brief note of gratitude to those within our community who helped ensure that all participants’ safety and rights were protected during the event organized yesterday by our Jewish Student Union and the corresponding counter demonstration."[39]
On May 1, 2024, over 100 students, faculty and others pitched in to establish an encampment on Parker Quad, spurred on by the Gaza Solidarity encampments established at other colleges across the country. President Wheeler visited the encampment and asked them to dismantle the tents, but students refused. He then wrote down notes regarding the demands of the organizers, which included divestment from companies doing business with Israel, amnesty for people disciplined by the school, and disclosure of the investments the school makes.[40]
The following day, on May 2, two members of Student Affairs visited the encampment in an effort to get students to dismantle it by 7:00 PM. The protesters refused, and were later told to leave by 9:00 PM. When the time came, they refused to leave, and administration called the police.[41] Officers including New York State troopers, the NYSUP, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Paltz Police Department all participated. Police brought K-9s, batons, and nonlethal firearms.[42] Over 100 people were arrested, with at least three people injured. One student being kicked in the face and an elderly woman was allegedly knocked unconscious.[43][44][45]
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(August 2023)
Principal's residence, about 1909
SUNY New Paltz alumni include:
Salvador Agron – "The Capeman," the main figure from the Broadway show The Capeman[46]
Jessica Faieta – Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
John Langan - instructor of creative writing and gothic literature; author of horror stories, notably the Bram Stoker Award winning novel "The Fisherman"
The State University of New York at Purchase, commonly referred to as Purchase College or SUNY Purchase, is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. Established in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, SUNY Purchase is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
The State University of New York at Buffalo is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1846 as a private medical college and merged with the State University of New York system in 1962. As of 2022, it is one of two flagship institutions of the SUNY system, along with Stony Brook University. As of fall 2020, the university enrolled 32,347 students in 13 schools and colleges, making it the largest public university in the state of New York.
The State University of New York Buffalo State University is a public university in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Buffalo State University was founded in 1871 as the Buffalo Normal School to train teachers. It offers 79 undergraduate majors with 11 honors options, 11 post baccalaureate teacher certification programs, and 64 graduate programs.
The State University of New York at Albany is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
The State University of New York at Fredonia is a public university in Fredonia, New York. It is the westernmost member of the State University of New York. Founded in 1826, it is the sixty-sixth-oldest institute of higher education in the United States, seventh-oldest college in New York, and second-oldest public school in New York after SUNY Potsdam (1816).
The State University of New York College at Geneseo is a public liberal arts college in Geneseo, New York. It is New York's public honors college and part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The college was founded in 1867 as the Wadsworth Normal and Training School before it became part of the new State University of New York system as a state liberal arts college in 1948.
The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is a public research university in Syracuse, New York, focused on the environment and natural resources. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. ESF is immediately adjacent to Syracuse University, within which it was founded, and with which it maintains a special relationship. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
State University of New York at Oswego is a public university in Oswego, New York. It has a total student population of 6,756 and the campus size is 700 acres.
The State University of New York at Plattsburgh is a public university in Plattsburgh, New York. The university was founded in 1889 and officially opened in 1890. The university is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. SUNY Plattsburgh has 5,109 students, of whom 4,680 are undergraduates.
The State University of New York at Potsdam is a public college in Potsdam, New York. Founded in 1816, it is the northernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, it is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education and Professional Studies, and the Crane School of Music.
The State University of New York at Oneonta, also known as SUNY Oneonta, is a public university in Oneonta, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
State University of New York at Morrisville or SUNY Morrisville is a public college with two locations in New York, one in Morrisville and one in Norwich. It is part of the State University of New York system. It offers one master's degree, 21 bachelor's degrees, 34 associate degrees, and two certificate programs, and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Clinton Community College (CCC) is a public community college in Plattsburgh, in Clinton County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY). CCC is a residential campus that has 1,376 undergraduates with an average class size of 16. Located on Lake Champlain, it is an hour south of Montreal, Quebec and directly across the lake from Burlington, Vermont. The college officially opened to 189 full-time students in 1969, and has only grown since.
SUNY Orange is a public community college with two campuses, one in Middletown, New York, and one in Newburgh, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and offers almost 40 associate degrees and certificate programs. SUNY Orange is accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The college employs an open enrollment policy to all applicants who are graduates of an accredited high school or recipients of a state high school equivalency diploma.
The New York State University Police (NYSUP) is the law enforcement agency of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Approximately 600 uniformed officers and investigators, as well as sixty-four chiefs, serve the 29 state college and university campuses throughout the state.
Mary Reid Kelley is an American artist based in upstate New York.
Founded in 1977, the Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) is a not-for-profit arts organization with a two-fold mission: to support artists working in photography and related media; and to engage audiences through creation, discovery, and learning. At the heart of CPW’s mission is programming that is community-based, artist-centered, and collaborative. To foster public conversation around critical issues in photography, CPW provides exhibitions, workshops, artists’ residencies, and access to a digital media lab. In 2022, CPW relocated from Woodstock to 474 Broadway in Kingston.
The State University of New York Polytechnic Institute is a public university in Marcy, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Established in 1966 using classrooms at a primary school, what became SUNY Poly is New York's public polytechnic college. The college, formerly the SUNY Institute of Technology, has a Utica, New York mailing address and was established in 1987.
Jamie Bennett is an American artist and educator known for his enamel jewelry. Over his forty-year career, Bennett has experimented with the centuries-old process of enameling, discovered new techniques of setting, and created new colors of enamel and a matte surfaces. This has led him to be referred to as “one of the most innovative and accomplished enamellers of our time” by Ursula Ilse-Neuman, historian and former curator at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. Bennett is closely associated with the State University of New York at New Paltz, where he studied himself as a student, and taught in the Metal department for many years. Bennett retired from teaching in 2014, after thirty years at SUNY New Paltz.
Myra Mimlitsch-Gray is an American metalsmith, artist, critic, and educator living and working in Stone Ridge, New York. Mimlitsch-Gray's work has been shown nationally at such venues as the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Museum of the City of New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and Museum of Arts and Design. Her work has shown internationally at such venues as the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Stadtisches Museum Gottingen, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and is held in public and private collections in the U.S, Europe, and Asia.
References
↑ "About New Paltz". www.newpaltz.edu. SUNY New Paltz. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
↑ Poskanzer, Steven (September 25, 2009), State of the College 2009, SUNY New Paltz, archived from the original on October 7, 2009, retrieved September 26, 2009
↑ "New Palz Building Occupied". The Evening News. March 27, 1974. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2020– via Google News Archive Search.
↑ Moritz, Owen (September 5, 2009). "Salvador Agron 'Cape Man'". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
Lang, Elizabeth W.; Lang, Robert P. (1960). In a Valley Fair: A History of the State University College of Education at New Paltz. New Paltz, NY: State University of New York. OCLC4742901.
Klotzberger, Edward Lewis (1958). The Growth and Development of State Teachers College, New Paltz, State University of New York, with Implications of Education in the State of New York (PhD thesis). University of Connecticut. OCLC43967254.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
