About the University
Officers
George M. Philip, President
Susan D. Phillips, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
Christine A. Bouchard, Vice President for Student Success
James A. Dias, Vice President for Research
Lee McElroy, Vice President for Athletic Administration/Director of
Intercollegiate Athletics
Alain Kaloyeros, Senior Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, College of
Nanoscale Science & Engineering
Steve Beditz, Interim Vice President for Finance & Business
Fardin Sanai, Vice President for University Development
Catherine Herman, Vice President for Communications & Marketing
Wayne A. Locust, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
Christine Haile, Chief Information Officer
Tamra Minor, Assistant Vice President & Director of
the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Vincent Delio, Chief of Staff
John Reilly, Senior University Counsel
University Council
Daniel C. Tomson, Esq., (Convener) Albany
Pierre L. Alric, Albany
Robert P. Balachandran, New York City
Patricia Caldwell, New York City
James M. Clancy, Delmar
John R. Fallon, Esq., New York City
Stephen Guarneri, Jr., New York City
James Jackson, Albany
Abner JeanPierre, Latham
Michael R. Stein, Cooperstown
Nicholas Fahrenkopf (graduate student delegate), Castleton-on-Hudson
Professor Susanna Fessler (faculty representative), Voorheesville
William McCann (alumnae/i representative), Niskayuna
Undergraduate Education
Dr. Sue R. Faerman, Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education
Dr. Jeffrey J. Haugaard, Associate Vice Provost and Honors College Director
Linda M. Kryzkowski, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Engagement
Leslie F. Halpern, Associate Dean for General Education
About the University
Strategically located in the state capital of New York, the University at Albany is an internationally recognized public research institution that brings "The World Within Reach" to nearly 18,000 students at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Academic Programs
Students choose from more than 125 undergraduate majors and minors and 120-plus graduate programs. Many of these programs are nationally ranked, among them criminal justice, information technology, public administration, social welfare and sociology. UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering ranks number one in the world.
Life-Enhancing Research and Scholarship
In every area of study, students are instructed by faculty who are world-class scholars and teachers - many actively engaged in life-enhancing research that contributes profoundly to the public good. As mentors, they provide numerous student-research opportunities at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, inspiring students to advance their skills and aspirations.
Over 500 Ways to Study Abroad
UAlbany students take advantage of the more than 500 study abroad opportunities to over 50 nations available through the UAlbany and SUNY networks. These are valuable opportunities for young scholars to enhance their education, increase independence and self-awareness, and build resumes that include invaluable international experience to deal with today's global marketplace.
Diversity that Enriches Learning
The varied perspectives and life experiences of a student body and faculty which represent more than 100 nations provide a diversity that enriches learning at UAlbany.
Excellence at a Great Value
UAlbany education is recognized by many independent sources, such as the rankings published yearly by U.S. News and World Report. Its great value results from the world of opportunities that are available to students at an affordable price.
Strategic Location
The University's location in the state capital of New York provides students with a rare chance to engage the world around them and serve the public good. Through limitless opportunities for internships and public service, students gain experience, test their skills, and prepare to launch brilliant careers. The area is also a vibrant center for culture and entertainment. Among its attractions are the New York State Museum and Library and the Times Union Center, a major Northeast entertainment and sports venue. Close by are the Berkshires, the Catskills, Saratoga, and the Adirondack Mountains, areas famed for recreational and cultural opportunities.
A Catalyst for Growth
UAlbany plays a major role in the economic development of the Capital Region and New York State, particularly through its programs in the nanosciences and biomedical sciences.
Nationally ranked programs:
Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranks the University of Albany as one of the nation's top colleges for excellence in academics and affordability, and Forbes magazine placed UAlbany in its most recent top 100 "America's Best Public Colleges" list. Top individual program rankings include:
- College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering - # 1 (Small Times)
- School of Criminal Justice - # 2 (US News)
- Counseling Psychology - # 4, faculty publication productivity (Counseling Psychology)
- School of Education - # 10, Curriculum and Instruction (Academic Analytics)
- School of Education - # 10, Evaluation and Research (Academic Analytics)
- School of Social Welfare - # 12 (US News); # 5 (Academic Analytics)
- Rockefeller College - # 14, public affairs (US News)
- Information Technology - # 2 (US News)
- Public Finance - # 7 (US News)
- Public Administration - # 8 (US News)
- Non-Profit Management - # 18 (US News)
- Public Policy Analysis - # 22 (US News)
- Atmospheric Sciences - # 22 Federal R&D Expenditures (NSF, 2006)
- Library and Information Studies - # 26 (US News)
- Sociology - # 28 (US News)
- Clinical Psychology - # 43 (US News)
- Education - # 61 (US News)
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. Graduates are recognized by the American Association of University Women. Albany is also a member of the Council of Graduate Schools in the U.S. It is fully accredited by:
- American Chemical Society
- American Library Association
- American Psychological Association
- Council on Education for Public Health
- Council on Rehabilitation Education
- Council on Social Work Education
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Teacher Education Accreditation Council
- The American Board on Counseling Services, Inc.
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Organization
The University enrolls students in nine degree-granting schools and colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Computing and Information, Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, College of Nanoscale Sciences and Engineering, School of Business, School of Criminal Justice, School of Education, School of Public Health, and School of Social Welfare. 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.
The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education 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. Non-degree study at the undergraduate level is coordinated by the Office of General Studies.
The Campuses
The Uptown Campus, the University’s main campus, is located at 1400 Washington Ave. and has been described as “a distinctive work of modern art.” Designed in 1961-62 by renowned American architect Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978), the campus bears Stone’s signature style of bold unified design, expressed by its towers, domes, fountains, soaring colonnades and sweeping canopy. The result is dramatically different from traditional university campuses with dispersed buildings and disparate architectural styles. In recent years, an aggressive program of new construction has expanded the Uptown Campus with a second major library facility (the Science Library), a Life Sciences Building, a sculpture studio, apartment-style residence halls, and a new administration building. Construction on a new School of Business building, a new dormitory and a Campus Center expansion/renovation are all scheduled to begin the summer of 2009.
The Uptown Campus also features the Performing Arts Center — boasting several theatres, recital halls, and rehearsal instructional space — and the University Art Museum, one of the finest regional museums in the Northeast.
Each of four residence quadrangles on the Uptown Campus house approximately 1,200 students and include eight three-story halls and a 23-story tower. Each quadrangle also has lounges, recreation areas and dining facilities. Nearby Freedom Apartments has apartment-style living, and Empire Commons provides single-room apartment-style living for 1,200 students. Housing is also available on Alumni Quadrangle, located near the Downtown Campus.
Other special facilities on the Uptown 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, which will expand by 50,000 square feet in the next few years, the first expansion phase to be completed in 2011. It currently includes lounges, meeting and dining rooms, a ballroom, a cafeteria, banking facilities, a convenience store, a Barnes & Noble bookstore, and a variety of fast-food eateries.
Outdoor recreation facilities include lighted tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts, an all-weather running track, and several multipurpose playing areas.
Indoor athletic facilities are dominated by the SEFCU Arena. 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.
Extending westward and adjacent to the Uptown Campus is the complex which is home to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Through corporate and governmental investments, the college has built the most advanced research facility of its kind at any university in the world: a $5.5 billion, 800,000-square-foot complex that attracts corporate partners from around the world and offers students a one-of-a-kind undergraduate and graduate academic experience.
The Downtown Campus is a classic Georgian-style complex that served from 1909-66 as the main campus. Recently renovated, it houses the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, the School of Criminal Justice, and the School of Social Welfare.
The East Campus, established in 1996, marked Albany's expansion to Rensselaer County. It is home to the School of Public Health, the Cancer Research Center, and a burgeoning business incubator program.
Libraries
Three campus libraries comprise the University Libraries, which provide more than two million volumes and rank among the top 100 research libraries in the U.S., according to the Association of Research Libraries. Users from around the world access services and collections through the Libraries' online systems and website, library.albany.edu. The Libraries offer a program of information literacy and user-education with instruction that ranges from a focus on traditional bibliographic access to collaborative classes integrated into the curriculum.
Two of the campus libraries, the University Library and the Science Library, are located on the Uptown Campus. The third, the Dewey Graduate Library, is on the Downtown Campus.
University Library contains the largest collection of circulating volumes, the Interactive Media Center, a collection of computer hardware and software that support the curriculum, and the Government Documents Collection, a selective depository for U.S. documents. The Science Library houses the M. E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives. The Dewey Graduate Library supports graduate research in the fields of public affairs, public administration and policy, criminal justice, political science, social welfare, and information science and policy.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
Information Technology Services provides technology systems and support for the University community through an extensive array of information technology tools, training and other support for students, faculty and staff. Visit the ITS website at www.albany.edu/its for an overview of products, policies and services available. Alerts and notices of service interruptions, as well as items of special interest are provided on the Web.
To learn more about the University’s student, faculty and staff self-service website, MyUAlbany, go to www.albany.edu/myualbany. This is the ‘portal’ through which students can enroll in courses, add or drop classes, view their academic records and update personal information. Faculty use MyUAlbany to generate class rosters, enter grades and view advisee information. The ITS HelpDesk located in LC-27 is available to answer questions about ITS-provided services. Faculty, staff, and students can submit questions at https://www.albany.edu/its/help-request.html
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 (now SEFCU Arena) opened
1996 University Foundation acquires new East Campus for School of Public Health, biotechnology and high-tech start-up businesses
2001 School (now College) of Nanoscale Science and Engineering established
2005 College of Computing and Information established
2005 The Cancer Research Center opens on East Campus
For more information concerning the rich history, traditions and achievements of the University at Albany, please visit the University’s website: https://www.albany.edu/
