General Information
Officers
President: Karen R. HitchcockVice Presidents: Carlos Santiago, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Christopher F. D'Elia, Vice President for Research; Paul T. Stec, Vice President for Finance and Business; James P. Doellefeld, Vice President for Student Affairs; David Gilbert, Vice President for Economic Outreach; Robert R. Ashton, Vice President University Advancement.
University Council: John R. Fallon, Jr., Esq., New York City; The Honorable A. Rita Chandellier Glavin, Waterford; Richard A. Hanft, Esq., Troy; Dr. Thomas J. Malesky, Schuylerville; George M. Philip, Esq., (Chair), Albany; David M. Tallcott, Loudonville; Daniel C. Tomson, Esq., New York City; Carolyn Gillis Wellington, Schoharie; David Bishop (undergraduate student representative); Christopher Bischoff (graduate student representative); Professor John S. Pipkin (faculty representative); Patricia E. Salkin, Esq. (alumnae/i representative).
Undergraduate Education:
Dr. Sue R. Faerman, Dean of Undergraduate StudiesDr. Carson Carr, Jr., Associate Dean of Academic Support Services and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Lee S. Bickmore, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Honors Programs
Dr. Judith Fetterley, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Director of the General Education Program
Mr. Richard L. Collier, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Editor, UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN
The University at Albany, State University of New York, is the senior campus of the SUNY system. One of SUNY's four university centers, UAlbany offers undergraduate and graduate education in a broad range of academic fields at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree levels.
Three traditional responsibilities guide UAlbany: teaching, research, and service.
Instructional excellence is assured through the quality of the faculty and a design of academic programs that affords students the greatest opportunity for intellectual growth. A challenging curriculum also provides students with thorough training for meeting career objectives. Students are encouraged to challenge themselves, to explore the world about them, and then to accept the responsibility that comes with scholarship and freedom.
An active research program reflects awareness of the responsibility of contributing to the expansion of knowledge and understanding, and to enhancing the economic vitality of the state and region. The University assists and encourages undergraduate students as well as faculty to participate in scholarly and creative research and to make their results widely available. UAlbany enjoys a Carnegie Research Extensive University rating. Last year, the campus received approximately $99 million in external funding through its Research Foundation and Health Research, Inc.
The University also understands its special role as an intellectual, economic and cultural resource for the region. Faculty and student scholars are encouraged to share their intellectual expertise as speakers and consultants, and the University regularly invites the community to use its resources and facilities, and to attend the many seminars, exhibits and events that fill the UAlbany calendar.
To meet each of these responsibilities, UAlbany maintains a wholehearted commitment to excellence.
Unless otherwise noted, the information provided in this bulletin should be utilized in the following manner: Academic regulations are in effect for all students during 2001-2002. Courses are described as they will be offered during 2001-2002.
The general degree requirements, requirements for majors and minors are effective for students who matriculate during 2001-2002.
The University at Albany does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, or sex. Inquiries concerning this policy should be directed to the Affirmative Action Office.
The calendars, curricula, and fees described in this bulletin are subject to change at any time by official action of the University at Albany.
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.
Accreditation: The University is chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State, which has registered all of its degrees and programs and fully approved its professional programs through the State Education Department. UAlbany is also a member of the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States. It is fully accredited by:
- The Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
- American Psychological Association
- Council on Rehabilitation Education
- The Council on Social Work Education
- The American Chemical Society
- The American Library Association
- The American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business
- The American Board on Counseling Services, Inc.
- Its graduates are recognized by the American Association of University Women.
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 Materials, 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 Campus: The Uptown Campus, designed by noted architect Edward Durell Stone and completed in the mid 1960s, is located on the western side of the city. The setting is highlighted by the "Academic Podium:" 13 academic buildings on a common platform, all connected by a continuous roof and a lower-level corridor. In recent years, an aggressive program of new construction has expanded the Uptown Campus. An additional library and new buildings for environmental science and technology management, the life sciences, and sculpture, as well as residence halls have recently been completed or are under construction.
Several schools and departments are located on the Downtown Campus, a classic Georgian-style complex, recently renovated, that served from 190915-6766 as the main campus. In 1996, UAlbany expanded to Rensselaer County with the opening of the 58-acre East Campus. It is home to the School of Public Health, the Center for Comparative Functional Genomics, and a burgeoning business incubator program.
In addition to the Uptown Campus's classrooms and laboratories, there are two University Libraries and the Performing Arts Center — boasting several theatres, recital halls, and rehearsal instructional space. The Fine Arts Building houses one of the finest museums in the Northeast. The new sculpture building will open in 2002.
Five residence quadrangles on the Uptown Campus, each housing approximately 1,200 students, include eight three-story halls and a 23-story tower. Each quadrangle has lounges, recreation areas, and dining facilities. Nearby Freedom Quadrangle has apartment-style living, and coming in Fall 2002 will be Empire Commons, which will provide single-room apartment-style living for 1,200 students when fully complete. Housing is also available on Alumni Quadrangle, located near the Downtown Campus.
Other special facilities on the campus include a National Weather Service meteorological laboratory, a Computing Center, and a linear accelerator for physics research.
The hub of student activity is the Campus Center and its new extension, opened in September 1994. It includes lounges, meeting and dining rooms, a ballroom, a cafeteria, a barbershop, banking facilities, a convenience store, a Barnes & Noble bookstore, a computer store, and a variety of fast-food eateries.
Outdoor recreation facilities include 24 tennis courts (12 with lights), 4 basketball and 6 volleyball courts, an all-weather running track, and several multipurpose playing areas.
Indoor athletic facilities are dominated the Recreation and Convocation Center (RACC). With an arena seating capacity of nearly 4,800, the facility is home to NCAA Division I Great Dane basketball, and also houses a running track, a modern fitness center, a fully equipped athletic training complex with whirlpools and other rehabilitative equipment, four handball/racquetball courts, four squash courts, two main locker rooms, and ten smaller team locker rooms. All facilities are handicapped accessible and have designated seating areas for handicapped spectators. In the Physical Education Center are a pool, locker rooms, and several basketball, handball and squash courts.
Libraries: The University maintains library facilities on both Uptown and Downtown campuses. Library collections, organized by the Library of Congress classification system, number over 2 million volumes. Current periodical and newspaper subscriptions number 16,312 and the library has extensive back files. A selective depository for U.S. government publications, the library also collects documents of local, state, foreign, and international governmental agencies. The University Libraries also have archival collections on particular subjects. Membership in the Center for Research Libraries provides access to the centers three-million-volume collection. The University is also a member of the Association of Research Libraries.
Computer Search Services librarians assist users to develop computer-produced bibliographies using research databases for all fields as well as for dissertations, and government reports. The library also has many databases available on its web site, http://library.albany.edu.
Collection Development bibliographers assist faculty and students in the selection and use of library materials. Other available services include tours and orientation sessions. In addition, there are special facilities to aid the visually handicapped. The two libraries on the Uptown Campus provide individual student carrels and study rooms for faculty and doctoral research.
The Dewey Graduate Library of Public Affairs and Policy on the Downtown Campus facilitates and assists cross-disciplinary, doctoral-level research in the fields of public affairs, public administration and policy, criminal justice, political science, social welfare and information science and policy.
Academic Computing Services: Campus computing is continually growing to meet the needs of users. Through the department of Academic Computing, UAlbany offers a wide variety of options for students, faculty and staff, including electronic mail, web page support, web-based mail, programming and application servers, web servers, WebCT course management servers, public-access desktop computers and Unix workstations, and high-speed laser printing services. More detailed and current information about these facilities is available on the Academic Computing web page (www.albany.edu/academic_computing).
Academic Computing's four public access computing rooms are equipped with high-end desktop computers and workstations, all of which have high-speed access to the Internet. The computing rooms are located in Lecture Center 3, Lecture Center 4, University Library 137 on the Uptown Campus, and Draper 15 on the Downtown Campus.
Consulting help for services provided by Academic Computing and RESNet (the residence hall computer network) is available from student consultants in all the public access user rooms and at the Help Desk located in Lecture Center 27. The Help Desk, staffed by well-trained student consultants and professional staff, welcomes questions on a walk-in basis. Help Desk personnel can also be reached by phone (518-442-3700) or by electronic mail ([email protected]).
U-Kids Child Care Center: U-Kids Child Care Center is a satellite of Campus Children's Center, Inc. and is located on UAlbany's Uptown Campus. Its mission is to provide the University community with the highest quality care. The Center provides a diverse, educational, friendly, nutritional, and safe environment that meets the needs of its children. The Center's atmosphere encourages children to learn through discovery, providing care with concern for each individual child's needs, interests, and ability levels. Qualities of independence and interdependence are fostered as the children are guided through a program rich with stimulating learning centers and creative activities. A special emphasis is made to foster these qualities in a culturally, socially, and economically diverse environment.
The Center operates Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. For further information, please call 518-442-2660, or write to U-Kids Child Care Center, 1400 Washington Avenue, Dutch Quad, Albany, NY 12222.
"JUST COMMUNITY" PRINCIPLES:
"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)
KEY DATES
- 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
For more information concerning the rich history, traditions and achievements of the University at Albany, please visit the University's web page:
https://www.albany.edu/
