Location: 

Located in the state capital, UAlbany is within minutes of the State Legislature, the courts, and headquarters for all service agencies of the largest state government in the nation. The city itself is a vibrant center for culture and entertainment. Its centerpiece is the Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, a governmental center that includes the New York State Museum and Library and major performing arts and convention facilities. Albany is also home to the Pepsi Arena, a 15,000-seat venue for major entertainment and sporting events.

The Capital Region (Albany, Schenectady, and Troy), with a population of 750,000, is near Saratoga, the Berkshires, the Catskills, and the Adirondack Mountains, areas famed for recreational and cultural opportunities.

The University is 150 miles from New York City, 165 miles from Boston, and 242 miles from Montreal. The main campus is located near the intersection of the New York State Thruway, the Adirondack Northway, and Interstate 90. Within five miles of the campus are an AMTRAK rail station, the Greyhound and Trailways bus depots, and Albany International Airport, served by several major airlines.

Description:  The University at Albany, the largest of 15 colleges in the Capital Region, enrolls approximately 17,000 students, including more than 5,200 graduate students. More than two-thirds of the University's undergraduate students pursue post-baccalaureate study. The University now awards more than 150 doctorates a year in disciplines in the arts and sciences and professions.

Nationally and internationally renowned scholars are among the more than 920 faculty members who are committed to maintaining the high academic standards which have characterized Albany since its founding in 1844. A large number of our faculty have earned the rank of Distinguished Professor, the highest academic honor for a faculty member in the State University of New York System. Additionally, many of the academic departments have gained national prominence. Finally, many of the faculty are integrally involved in meaningful community service efforts in the Capital Region and throughout the state.

Organization:  The University enrolls students in eight degree-granting schools and colleges. The College Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Business, Criminal Justice, Education, Information Science and Policy, Public Affairs, and Social Welfare offer undergraduate and graduate programs. The School of Public Health offers graduate programs only. Several opportunities exist for joint degrees between schools and with other graduate programs. In 2001, UAlbany established its new School of Nanosciences and Nanoengineering, which currently offers courses and will introduce degree programs in the near future.

The Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Research jointly work with the academic units in curricular and research areas.

On the undergraduate level, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies is responsible for the coordination of the academic experience of undergraduate students and works closely with the deans and faculty of the individual schools and colleges in developing, coordinating, and implementing undergraduate academic policy and curricula. Nondegree study at the undergraduate level is coordinated by the Office of General Studies.

"The University at Albany, State University of New York, is an academic community dedicated to the ideals of justice. A university is above all a place where intellectual life is central and where faculty, staff, and students strive together for excellence in the pursuit of knowledge. It is a particular kind of community with special purposes. Moreover, this academic community, if it is to support our broader ideals, must also be just.

"There is no definitive theory of justice. The differences in these theories are to be respected. However, among all democratic theories of justice, the principles of equality and liberty are basic. These principles are no less central to a free university.

"In a just community, the dignity of the individual and respect for diversity are fundamental. Members of a just community are committed to raising awareness of common ground and to the principles of respect, integrity, innovation, openness, justice and responsibility.

"Equality is a necessary part of any university that claims to be a democratic institution. Distinctions based on irrelevant differences are ruled out. Ascriptive characteristics including but not limited to race, religion, gender, class, disability, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age or disability determine neither the value of individuals nor the legitimacy of their views. Only the merit of the individual as a participant in the life of the academic community is worthy of consideration. Bigotry in any form is antithetical to the University's ideals on intellectual political, and moral grounds and must be challenged and rejected.

"Liberty is an equally precious academic principle because the free expression of ideas is the central part of university life. To sustain the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and understanding, the University must allow the free expression of ideas, no matter how outrageous. Protecting speech in all its forms, however, does not mean condoning all ideas or actions. The University sets high standards for itself and denounces the violation of these standards in unequivocal terms. Harassment and other behavior that intrudes upon the rights of others is unacceptable and subject to action under the guidelines of the institution.

"There is no guarantee that the principles of justice, once stated, are realized. The University must constantly remind itself that its mission and ethos must evolve within the context of justice. A just community is always on guard against injustice, always struggling to move closer to the ideals of justice, always asserting its dedication to justice. The assertion of justice takes place in every part of the community: in the classroom, the lecture hall, the library, the residence hall, wherever members of the University come together. It is the responsibility of all faculty, staff and students to keep the ideals of justice uppermost in the minds of the members of the University so that they may be achieved." (Approved 1990; revised April 3, 2001 — University Senate)

1844  Founded as the New York State Normal School
1909  Downtown campus opened
1935  First residence halls opened, Pierce and Sayles
1962  Designated SUNY University Center
1967  Uptown campus opened
1976  Renamed University at Albany
1983  NYS Writers Institute established
1992  Recreation and Convocation Center opened
1996  University Foundation acquires new East Campus for School of Public Health, biotechnology and high-tech start-up businesses