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UAlbany Faculty, Staff Welcome Students Back to Campus
Holiday Inn Express and Homewood Suites by Hilton extend hospitality and support to ensure student success

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Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 956-8150

ALBANY, N.Y. (September 2, 2006) -- Building on the theme of 'Great Beginnings,' University at Albany faculty, staff and administrators joined in welcoming students back to campus for the start of the fall 2006 semester. Volunteers from Holiday Inn Express and Homewood Suites by Hilton joined the team by handing out granola bars at 7 a.m. to weary parents, sponsoring the University's 'Great Beginnings' welcome packets for returning faculty and staff and pledging a gift to the Inaugural Scholarship Fund. Michael Hoffman, the president/owner of Turf Hotels, was on hand to present the $10,000 gift to the University.

"We are grateful for the support today of Michael Hoffman and Holiday Inn Express and Homewood Suites by Hilton," said Susan Herbst, the provost and executive vice president of the University who led the UAlbany Moving-In Day festivities. "These partners have been hard-working members of our move-in team today, contributing to the University through support of our Moving-In Day and our Inaugural Scholarship Fund."

"On behalf of all of us at the Holiday Inn Express and Homewood Suites by Hilton, we are honored to be a part of the moving-in team here today," said Hoffman. "We are especially honored to support the University's Inaugural Scholarship Fund, to help assure that undergraduates have the means to attend the University at Albany."

The 'Great Beginnings' weekend continues today with a barbeque for students and their families. Later in the evening, freshmen will take part in UAlbany's traditional candle lighting ceremony, symbolizing the beginning of their collegiate career in accepting the University flame of knowledge. Later in the semester, students from across the University will take part in another UAlbany tradition, the annual "Clash of the Quads" competition, pitting each of the housing communities against each other in various fun and challenging activities.

The University at Albany applicant pool for the 2006-07 calendar year surpassed 18,000—a 12 percent increase in freshmen applications above last year and a record number for UAlbany. From that, the University enrolled 2,350 freshmen to the class of 2010—200 fewer students than last year's record class of 2,556.

The smaller class allowed UAlbany to be more selective in admissions, with an acceptance rate of 55 percent, down from 63 percent. As a result, the class has a higher mean GPA of 89.6, compared to 88.5 last year, with a mean SAT of 1146. The University also received a record 4,710 transfer applications and expects to enroll 1,400 new transfer students this fall. Total enrollment is expected to increase 2.1 percent with a projection of 17,399 combined undergraduate and graduate students.