Appendix

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Appendix

• Financial Assistance and Academic Standards For Undergraduates
• State-established Academic Standards for New York State Financial Aid
• Federal Academic Standards for Title IV Recipients
• The SUNY AA/AS Transfer Guarantee Policy
• Affirmative Action Compliance Statement
• The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989
• Board of Trustees
• College Administration
• College Council
• State University of New York
• Alma Mater
• Faculty Roster
• Professional Staff
• Area Map
• Campus Map

Financial Assistance and Academic Standards for Undergraduates

New York State Financial Assistance

Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
All students who are matriculated, legal residents of New York state and are full-time or have equivalent full-time status are eligible to apply for assistance under the Tuition Assistance Program. For purposes of TAP eligibility, full time is normally defined as 12 undergraduate credits. Students who are at least half time and who have a documented disability on file at the Office for Students with Disabilities may be eligible for a part-time TAP award. Students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for TAP. If the FAFSA is electronically processed on the Web, students will be directly transferred to the TAP application Web site. Students should complete this page and click “Submit.”. If a student does not complete the form or is not transferred to the TAP Web site, the student will be sent a preprinted Express TAP Application (ETA) or notification of award. FAFSA forms are available in January for the next academic year. Students must reapply each year. Students are advised that continued eligibility for TAP awards requires that students maintain Good Academic Standing.

Federal Financial Assistance Programs

To be considered for federal financial aid programs, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and must be matriculated. The FAFSA form can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office. Applications should be filed by March 15 for consideration for an award for the next academic year.

Federal Direct Student Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans)
These loans are for matriculated students who are attending on at least a half-time basis (6 credits). They are low-interest loans with usually a 10-year repayment schedule. The unsubsidized version is not need based, but interest does accrue during in-school periods. Apply yearly by filing the FAFSA during the spring to ensure funds for September. No separate application is required.

Federal College Work-Study Program (CWSP)
This program offers jobs to matriculated students demonstrating financial need and desire to work. Positions are available in almost every department and administrative office. Every effort is made to correlate the job with the student’s interest and schedule.

Federal Perkins Loan
The loan is for matriculated graduate students with exceptional financial need as determined by the FAFSA. This loan has a fixed interest rate of five percent and payments are deferred while students are attending on at least a half-time basis. This loan is awarded only if the student has unmet need after all other sources of aid are exhausted.

Academic Standards

Both the federal and the state governments require that students meet certain basic standards of scholarship in order to remain eligible for financial assistance. These standards have to do with how many credits you attempt each semester, how many credits you accumulate, and the grade point average you attain while doing so. It would be helpful if the federal government and the state government could agree on the same standards, but unfortunately for everyone, they don’t. This means you must pay attention to two slightly different sets of rules, depending on whether you are receiving federal Title IV aid – Pell Grants, Stafford Loans (Guaranteed Student Loans), College Work Study, Perkins Loans, (National Direct Student Loans) – or state aid such as TAP. In most cases, if you are moving steadily along toward your degree, you are probably in no danger. You must beware of the state’s “Pursuit of Program” requirement, however, which insists that you complete a certain number of credits each semester. This one can surprise a perfectly satisfactory student, who just happens to drop below the required minimum some semester, for reasons that have nothing to do with being in academic difficulty. There is one huge difference between the two standards that you should know. State standards require that the College evaluate the progress of state aid recipients at the completion of each semester, while progress according to federal standards is evaluated each academic year, at the end of the spring semester.

State-established Academic Standards for New York State Financial Aid

Grants, Scholarships, and Special Awards

1. Full-time Awards:
   • Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
   • Regents Award – Child of Veteran (CV)
   • World Trade Center Scholarship (WTC)
   • New York State Scholarship for Academic Excellence
   • Regents Professional Opportunity Scholarships
   • Memorial Scholarships for Families of Deceased Firefighters, Volunteer Firefighters, Police Officers, Peace Officers, and Emergency Medical Service Workers
   • Persian Gulf Veterans Tuition Awards
   • Vietnam Veterans Tuition Assistance Program (VVTA)
   • Volunteer Recruitment Services Scholarship for Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Recruits
   • Military Service Recognition Scholarship (MSRS)
2. Part-time Awards (special requirements apply in some instances):
   • Aid for Part-time Study (APTS)
   • Persian Gulf Veterans Awards
   • Vietnam Veterans Tuition Assistance Program (VVTA)
   • Volunteer Recruitment Services Scholarship for Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Recrui

Students who receive New York state financial awards are required to maintain good academic standing in order to remain eligible. The State Education Department, for these purposes, defines a student in good academic standing as one who (1) pursues the program of study in which he is enrolled (Pursuit of Program); and (2) makes satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of his or her program’s requirements (Satisfactory Academic Progress). These are defined as follows:

Pursuit of Program *
State regulations define program pursuit as receiving either a passing or a failing grade in a certain percentage of a full-time course load. For undergraduates, the percentage increases from 50 percent of the minimum full-time load in each semester of the first year of award (6 credits each semester), to 75 percent each semester of the second award year (9 credits each semester), to 100 percent each semester of the third and fourth award years (12 credits each semester). In general, graduate students are expected to complete 100 percent, 12 credit hours, starting with the first semester of a graduate program. Students who fail to meet these standards become ineligible to receive an award during the succeeding semester, and remain ineligible until good standing is regained. (For details on regaining eligibility or waiving eligibility standards, see below.)

Generally, the State Education Department will accept any grade that indicates that the student attended the course for the entire semester and completed all necessary assignments. By these standards, both passing and failing grades are acceptable. However, “W” (Withdrawal) grades are not acceptable. Grades of “I” and “PR” are acceptable because they are automatically changed to either a passing or failing grade before the completion of the succeeding semester.

Satisfactory Academic Progress *
Satisfactory Academic Progress is defined both in terms of the number of credits completed and the grade point average attained at the end of a given semester. To remain eligible for awards, students must meet the following minimum standards: (Special conditions apply for part-time student awards.)

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards for Awards:

(Only students in specially approved five-year programs are eligible for TAP awards beyond eight semesters of undergraduate study.)

As shown in the above table, full-time students are not expected to have earned college credits in order to be eligible for their first award payment. For the second payment, an undergraduate student must have earned three credits toward graduation, with a GPA of .50 or better, for the third, to have completed nine credits with a cumulative GPA of .75, and so on.

* These standards apply only to students who received their TAP award in September 1981 or later. Students who received their first TAP award prior to September 1981 can be advised of applicable standards by the Office of Academic Advisement.

Transfer and Readmitted Students :
Transfer students and students readmitted to the College after an absence of at least one year will be placed on the above scale either in accordance with the number of credits earned toward graduation or the number of TAP payments previously received, whichever is more beneficial to the student. For example, a transfer student who has received six TAP payments and earned 45 credits would be placed at (payment) semester five, rather than (payment) semester six.

Loss and Reinstatement of Student Eligibility :
Students who fail to maintain good academic standing, either through failure in Pursuit of Program or in making Satisfactory Academic Progress, become ineligible for further awards. Eligibility may be regained (and payments restored) by either of the following methods:

1. Achieving the required GPA and/or number of credits during a semester of attendance in which no state award is paid.
2. Transferring to another institution.
3. Being readmitted to Brockport after an absence of one calendar year or more. (Acceptance at Brockport or another institution is deemed evidence of a student’s ability to complete successfully an approved program.)
4. Waiver of eligibility.

Waiver of Eligibility Standards for State Awards :
Students who fail to meet state standards for either Pursuit of Program or Satisfactory Academic Progress may request a waiver of these standards that will allow them to continue to receive award payments for the succeeding semester. When such a waiver has been granted for failure to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student is expected to use the semester to advance to the level he could not achieve without the waiver. The waiver may be used if the student fails in Pursuit of Program, fails to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, or fails by both standards. However, Pursuit of Program and Satisfactory Academic Progress may not be waived separately for different semesters.

Students are eligible for only one waiver as an undergraduate student (not one for each institution attended), and one waiver as a graduate student. However, the granting of such a waiver is not automatic; it is intended only to accommodate extraordinary or unusual situations. The waiver process must include an assessment of the reasons for a student’s failure to meet the established requirements for good standing, and the decision to grant the waiver must be based upon a reasonable expectation that the student will meet future requirements.

Notification of Ineligibility for State Financial Awards:
Since payment of state awards is made through the Bursar’s Office, students who fail to maintain good academic standing, and therefore are ineligible for a state award, will be notified by the Office of the Bursar. Students affected are encouraged to discuss their status with a member of the Academic Advisement staff or with the TAP Certifying Officer located in the Bursar’s Office. Additional Requirements to Maintain State Financial Aid Eligibility :

Repeat Of “D” Grades
Repeat of any course in which a passing grade (D- or above) has already been received and which the College does not require the student to repeat may not be considered as part of that student’s minimum course load for financial aid purposes. In other words, the student would have to be registered for 12 or more different credits in order to be considered as a full-time student. In addition, the repeated course may not be considered in determining whether the student has met the Pursuit of Program requirement and is in good academic standing.

“C” Average Requirement
Effective fall 1996, undergraduate students are required to achieve a “C” average (2.0 GPA at Brockport) prior to receiving their fifth TAP payment, and must maintain a “C” average in each succeeding semester in order to continue receiving state financial aid.

Declaration of Major
In order to maintain eligibility for New York state financial aid, the State Education Department requires undergraduate students to declare an academic major no later than the beginning of the junior year of the baccalaureate program. The College defines a junior as any student who has attained 54 or more credits toward the baccalaureate.

Federal Academic Standards for Title IV Recipients

Award programs affected by the federal standards:

• Federal PELL Grants
• Federal Perkins Loans
• Federal Nursing Loans
• Federal College Work/Study
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
• Robert C. Byrd Scholarships
• Federal Direct Loan Program - includes:
• Federal Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), and the
• Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)

Maximum Time Frame Standard:
Federal law requires that students receiving funds under Title IV must complete their educational programs in no longer than 150 percent of the published length of the educational program for full-time students and, in addition, show evidence of making satisfactory progress toward their degree objectives, in order to remain eligible for further funds. For purposes of determining eligibility, satisfactory progress is defined as accumulating a minimum number of credit hours toward the degree for each academic year of attendance, with a minimum grade point average of 2.0. The minimum number of hours that must be accumulated at the conclusion of each academic year of full-time attendance is shown on the scale following this section.

Academic Performance Standard:
A student receiving aid as a full-time student must have earned 14 credits with a minimum grade average of 2.0 after the first full academic year, 32 credits after the second full academic year, and so on. The entire scale is based upon the requirement that the baccalaureate degree be completed within six years of full-time attendance. Students who attain the minimum number of credits for a given period, but who fall below the required GPA of 2.0, will be placed on Title IV probation (concurrent with academic probation). Probation for Title IV follows the College’s policy on academic probation with students continuing in eligibility for Title IV funds while on probationary status. Students who fail to accumulate the specified number of credits will be placed on Title IV probation for a maximum of one academic year. Failure to accumulate the minimum number of credits at the end of that probationary period will result in ineligibility for further Title IV funds until such time as the student should regain eligibility by accumulating the required hours. For example, a student who has accumulated 12 hours by the end of his first academic year would be placed on Title IV probation for the next year of attendance. If, at the end of his probationary period, he has failed to accumulate 32 credits, he would be declared ineligible for further Title IV funding.

Regaining Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid:
Occasionally, students will fail to meet the established standards for reasons beyond their control. Such students may appeal their loss of eligibility, and if the College’s designated Appeals Committee deems their performance to have been significantly hampered by such “mitigating circumstances,” they will be permitted to continue in good standing under Title IV regulations. Such mitigating circumstances include serious family problems, extended illness, and similar situations. All appeals must be submitted in writing to the Financial Aid Office. Federal regulations, however, do not allow for mitigation under any circumstances for students not completing their program of study within 150 percent of the published length of the educational program for full-time students. Students will be notified at the close of each academic year of their probationary status or of their ineligibility for further Title IV funds. Letters notifying students of ineligibility will be sent after the spring grades have been analyzed. Students may submit letters based upon mitigating circumstances in order to appeal the loss of eligibility to the Financial Aid Office. Further information may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office.

Federal Academic Progress Chart:

*Year = academic year (two full-time semesters)
For students attending on less than a full-time basis, the scale will be adjusted accordingly.

The SUNY AA/AS Transfer Guarantee Policy

The SUNY Board of Trustees has approved amendments to the SUNY AA/AS Transfer Guarantee Policy. The amendments state the following:

1. New York state residents who are graduates of a SUNY or CUNY two-year college and who possess an AA or AS shall be guaranteed the opportunity to continue their education on a full-time basis at a SUNY baccalaureate campus.
2. SUNY baccalaureate campuses shall give priority to AA and AS graduates of SUNY and CUNY colleges over other transfer applicants.
3. Academic decisions on admission for transfer students covered by the Transfer Guarantee Policy shall be based solely on a student’s previous college record.
4. In making admissions decisions, baccalaureate campuses shall pay particular attention to applications from AA and AS transfer students in their region who cannot relocate to another part of the state.

The Transfer Guarantee Policy covers AA and AS graduates of SUNY and CUNY colleges only. To be eligible for the transfer guarantee, AA and AS graduates must meet the following deadlines:

1. File a SUNY application, which must be received by the SUNY Application Service Center by March 1 for fall admission and October 15 for spring admission.
2. Provide the baccalaureate campus(es) with an official two-year college transcript showing three semesters of completed studies by March 15 for fall admission and October 15 for spring admission.
3. Provide, for campuses that require them, completed supplemental application materials by April 15 for fall admission and November 15 for spring admission.

The Application Service Center will contact each applicant who has not been admitted to any of his/her original college choices.
AA/AS graduates who wish to participate in the guaranteed transfer program must contact the Application Service Center prior to May 1 for the fall semester and prior to December 1 for the spring semester.

The directors of admissions at the SUNY baccalaureate campuses will meet to review applications of those AA/AS graduates who have not been offered admission earlier in the application review process. These applicants will be offered admission to one of the baccalaureate campuses in the region.

The Transfer Guarantee Policy provides that AA and AS graduates who are denied admission to all of their original SUNY baccalaureate campus choices, anywhere within the University, will be admitted to a baccalaureate campus. The Policy does not guarantee access to a specific campus or the academic program of the student’s choice. However, whenever possible, efforts should be made to place the student in the program of his/her choice.

Affirmative Action Compliance Statement

The State University of New York College at Brockport does not discriminate on the basis of race/ethnicity/color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or status as a Vietnam-era or disabled veteran, in admission, employment, and treatment of students and employees. It is, therefore, the policy of SUNY Brockport to provide an academic and work environment free of discriminatory intimidation.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex (gender).
Harassment on the basis of gender is a violation of Section 703 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.
Since sexual harassment is generally recognized as a form of sexual discrimination, employees or students who feel they have been harassed can file a complaint under the University’s Grievance Procedures for Review of Allegations of Discrimination.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) provide that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
The ADA estimates that there are 43 million Americans who have a disability. A “disability” is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, and a record of having such an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, and a record of having such an impairment, or being regarded as having one. “Disability” covers a wide range of conditions and includes mobility, vision, hearing, or speech impairments, learning disabilities, chronic health conditions, emotional illnesses, AIDS, HIV positive, and a history of drug addiction or alcoholism.
Accessibility for people with disabilities is often viewed solely as architectural or physical access. The ADA, however, goes beyond this concept to require that all of our services, programs, and activities be accessible. To ensure compliance, SUNY Brockport has designated a coordinator for ADA Compliance who can be contacted directly for the provision of reasonable accommodations. It is important to note that all inquires will be held in the strictest of confidence. For additional information, please call (585) 395-5409.

SECTION 224-A OF THE EDUCATION LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

1. No person shall be expelled from or be refused admission as a student to an institution of higher education for the reason that she is unable, because of his/her religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study or work requirements on a particular day or days.
2. Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable, because of his/her religious beliefs, to attend classes on a particular day or days shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements.
3. It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to each student who is absent from school, because of his/her religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirements which he/she may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such equivalent opportunity.
4. If classes, examinations, study or work requirements are held on Friday after 4 pm or Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, study or work requirements shall be made available on other days, where it is possible and practicable to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student for these classes, examinations, study or work requirements held on other days.
5. In effectuating the provisions of this section, it shall be the duty of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student because of his/her availing him- or herself of the provisions of this section.
6. Any student, who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative officials to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section, shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court of the county in which said institution of higher education is located for the enforcement of his/her rights under this section.
7. As used in this section, the term “institution of higher education” shall mean schools under the control of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York or of the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York or any community college. SUNY Brockport is in compliance with these policies.

All questions concerning these policies and allegations of noncompliance should be directed to:

Affirmative Action Officer
SUNY College at Brockport
350 New Campus Drive
Brockport, NY 14420-2929
Telephone: (585) 395-2109

The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989 (Pl 101-226)

In compliance with “The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989” as mandated by section 22 of Public Law 101-226, SUNY Brockport will make the following information available to all its students and employees annually:

1. Standards of conduct prohibiting the unlawful possession, use or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol and the disciplinary sanctions the College will impose for violations of laws and standards of conduct which are contained in the revised Codes of Student Social Conduct, the existing Residence Hall System Alcohol Policy, and the employee policy on the use of controlled substances.
2. The health risks associated with the use of illicit drugs and alcohol abuse which are currently available in the “SUNY College at Brockport Drug-Free College Community Resource Guide.”
3. The legal sanctions imposed by local, state and federal laws for the illegal possession or distribution of illicit drugs or alcohol, which are contained in the handouts, “What You Should Know About Controlled Drugs” and the “State Penal Law: Federal Trafficking Penalties, and the Alcohol Beverage Control Law” (chapters 225, 586, 592 of the laws of 1989), are currently available in the “SUNY College at Brockport Drug-Free College Community Resource Guide.”
4. Information on the rehabilitation, counseling or re-entry programs available to substance users, abusers or people in recovery which is available in the “Resource Guide,” as well as in the following offices: Student Health Services, Counseling Center, and/or Employee Assistance Program.
5. The results of a biennial review of our programs will be conducted to determine their effectiveness, implement changes to the programs if needed, and ensure that disciplinary sanctions are consistently enforced.

SUNY Brockport is in compliance with these policies.

SUNY Board of Trustees

System Administration

Chancellor (Acting)
John R. Ryan, Vice Admiral, USN (Ret)

Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer
Elizabeth D. Capaldi

Vice Chancellor and Secretary of the University and
President of the Research Foundation

John J. O’ConnorProvost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Peter D. Salins

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business
Vacant

Vice Chancellor for Business and Industry Relations
Vacant

Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges
Carol W. Eaton

University Counsel
D. Andrew Edwards, Jr.

Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment & University Life
Wayne A. Locust

Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations
Michael C. Trunzo

College Administration

(Note: *Indicates recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service.)

President’s Office: John R. Halstead, President

Executive Assistant to the President: Kathleen H. Groves
Affirmative Action: Adrienne Collier, Affirmative Action Officer
Rochester Equal Opportunity Center: Melva L. Brown, Dean and Director

Academic Affairs: Timothy J. Flanagan, Vice President and Provost

Arts and Performance, School of: Francis X. Short, Dean
Dean of Information Resources/Chief Information Officer/Director of Library: Frank Wojcik
Delta College: Sandra Holinbaugh, Director
Graduate Studies: Susan Stites-Doe, Dean
Grants Development: Colleen Donaldson, Director
Information Technology Support Services: Mary Jo Orzech, Director
Information Technology Systems and Networking Services: David
Strasenburgh, Director
Institutional Research and Planning: Lillian Zhu, Director
International Programs: John J. Perry, Dean
Letters and Sciences, School of: Stuart Appelle, Dean
MetroCenter, Special Sessions and Programs: Karen Schuhle-Williams,
Executive Director
Professions, School of: Christine Murray, Dean
Student Learning Center: Mary Ann Giglio*, Director
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs: P. Michael Fox

Administration and Finance: Louis Spiro, Vice President

Brockport Auxiliary Service Corporation: Sandra Mason, Executive Director
Budget and Post-award Activities: Jeffrey Post, Director
Facilities and Planning: Thomas Dreyer, Assistant Vice President
Facility Operations: Richard Lair, Director
Facilities Planning: John Osowski, Director
Finance and Management: Rhonda Devan, Assistant Vice President
Human Resources: Terrence Hooper, Director
Procurement and Payment Services: Dona Hazen, Director
Student Financial Services: James E. Vetuskey*, Assistant to the Vice President and Bursar
Telecommunications: Shannon Sauro-Quill, Director

Enrollment Management and Student Affairs: Ray Di Pasquale, Vice President

Academic Advisement: Thomas Nugent*, Director
Assistant to the Vice President and Director for Student Retention: Marcy Esler
Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs: Jill Campbell
Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, Financial Aid Director: J. Scott Atkinson*
Career Services: Claire VanDenBerghe, Director
College-wide Judicial System: Thomas Rosia, Associate Director, Residential Life
Design and Production: Richard Black, Director
Educational Opportunity Program: Gary Owens, Director
Educational Talent Search: Wilfredo Matos, Project Director
Intercollegiate Athletics: Lin Case, Director
Leadership/Community Development: Karen Podsiadly, Director
Marketing Communications: Christine Florence, Director
Recreational Services: Stephen Kampf, Director
Registration and Records: Peter Dowe, Registrar
Residential Life/Learning Communities: Joseph Franek*, Director
Sports Information Director: TBA
Student Support Services Program: Barbara Mitrano, Director
Students with Disabilities, Office of: Maryellen Post, Coordinator
Undergraduate Admissions: Bernie Valento, Director
University Police/Campus Safety: Robert Kehoe, Chief
Upward Bound: Isabella Mark, Coordinator

Institutional Advancement: Ray Di Pasquale, Interim Vice President  

Advancement Services: Susan L. Parrino, Director
Development: TBA
Major and Planned Gifts and Alumni Relations: Michael Andriatch, Director
Special Giving: Tim Gilbert, Director

College Council

State University of New York

The State University of New York’s 64 geographically dispersed campuses bring educational opportunity within commuting distance of virtually all New Yorkers and comprise the nation’s largest comprehensive system of public higher education.

When founded in 1948, the University consolidated 29 state-operated, but unaffiliated, institutions whose varied histories of service dated as far back as 1816. It has grown to a point where its impact is felt educationally, culturally and economically statewide.

As a comprehensive public university, State University of New York provides a meaningful educational experience to the broadest spectrum of individuals. More than 413,000 students are pursuing traditional study in classrooms and laboratories or are working at home, at their own pace, through such innovative institutions as the SUNY Learning Network and Empire State College.

Of the total enrollment, approximately 36.6 percent of the students are 25 years of age or older, reflecting State University’s services to specific constituencies, such as training courses for business and industry, continuing educational opportunities for the professional community, and personal enrichment for more mature persons.

The State University’s students are predominantly New York state residents. Representing every one of the state’s 62 counties, they make up more than 96 percent of the University’s undergraduate student population. State University of New York students also come from every other state in the United States, from four US territories or possessions, and from more than 171 foreign countries. The State University enrolls 40 percent of all New York state high school graduates, and its total enrollment of more than 413,000 (full-time and part-time) is approximately 37 percent of the state’s entire higher education student population. Between 1976 and 1997, the University recorded a 167 percent increase in the enrollment of African, Asian, Hispanic and Native Americans, compared with a 63 percent average increase among colleges and universities across the state. In fall 2004, 18.9 percent of all students were minorities.

Because of its structure and comprehensive programs, the State University offers students a wide diversity of educational options: short-term vocational/technical courses, certificate programs, baccalaureate degrees, graduate degrees and post-doctoral studies. The University offers access to almost every field of academic or professional study somewhere within the system—some 6,688 programs of study overall.

Curricula range from those in the more conventional career fields, such as business, engineering, medicine, teaching, performing arts, social work, finance and forestry, to those concerned with tomorrow’s developing and societal needs in the areas of environmental science, urban studies, immunology, information systems, biotechnology, telecommunications, microbiology and health services management.

As part of the University’s commitment to bring to the students of New York the very best and brightest scholars, scientists, artists and professionals, the State University’s distinguished faculty is recruited from the finest graduate schools and universities throughout the United States and many countries around the world. Their efforts are regularly recognized in numerous prestigious awards and honors, including the Nobel Prize.

The State University’s research contributions are helping to solve some of today’s most urgent problems. At the same time, contracts and grants received by University faculty directly benefit the economic development of the regions in which they are located. State University researchers pioneered nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and the supermarket bar code scanner, isolated the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, developed the first implantable heart pacemaker and the drug ReoPro®, recommended for heart patients, and developed Avonex®, an interferon treatment for multiple sclerosis.

The University’s program for the educationally and economically disadvantaged, consisting of Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) and Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC), has become a model for delivering better learning opportunities to young people and adults traditionally bypassed by higher education. Over the past 30 years, almost 482,000 New York state residents have been served.

The 30 locally-sponsored two-year community colleges operating under the program of the State University offer local citizens programs that are directly and immediately job-related as well as degree programs that serve as job-entry educational experience or a transfer opportunity to a baccalaureate degree at a senior campus.

In 1998, the Governor and the Legislature approved a multi-year, $2 billion capital construction program for the University. This investment in critical maintenance will protect the University’s infrastructure, valued at nearly $11 billion, and enable the University to keep pace with modern technology for the benefit of its students and faculty.

The State University’s involvement in the health sciences and health care is extensive and responsive to the rapid changes in society and the growing needs identified by the state’s public health community. Hundreds of thousands of New York’s citizens are served each year by medical and health sciences faculty and students in University hospitals and clinics or affiliated hospitals.

The University’s economic development services programs provide research, training and technical assistance to the state’s business and industrial community through Business and Industry Centers, the New York State Small Business Development Center, the Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence, Rural Services Institutes, the Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, Technical Assistance Centers, Small Business Institutes, Centers for Advanced Technology, and international development.

State University libraries, the major resource which supports the teaching and research activities of its students and faculty, are an important community resource too. Nearly six million items circulated by campus libraries in fiscal year 1995–96, another three million items were used in-house and almost a quarter million items were made available to the wider community through interlibrary loan. Increasingly, the circulation methods reflected in these traditional statistics are supplemented by electronic and Internet access. Annual attendance at the University’s libraries is more than 21 million students, faculty and public citizens. More than 20 million volumes and government documents are available, as well as nearly 14 thousand CD-ROMS and other computer files. More than two million reference questions were answered, many consisting of requests for help with CD-ROM and on-line database searches.

The University passed a major milestone in the mid-1980s when it graduated its one-millionth alumnus, and currently numbers 2.4 million graduates on its rolls. The majority of the University’s alumni reside and pursue careers in communities across New York state, contributing to the economic and social vitality of its people.

The State University of New York is governed by a Board of Trustees, appointed by the Governor, which directly determines the policies to be followed by the 34 state-supported campuses. Community colleges have their own local boards of trustees whose relationship to the State University Board is defined by law.

The University’s motto is: “To Learn —To Search —To Serve.”

Alma Mater

Alma Mater, thy children rise
To thy shrine deserved praise.
Hope and courage thou dost impart
To each loyal student heart.

Friendly flowers and stately trees
Lend new perfume to the breeze.
Dear old campus, lofty halls,
Alma Mater, we love thy walls.

When the fleeting years divide
Us from thee, our gentle guide;
Still our thoughts with thee shall rest,
Alma Mater, Dearest, Best.

Lyrics by a member of the Class of 1916.