The climate at the University at Albany is very healthy, emphasizing honesty and openness as the University seeks to fulfill its mission. Clearly, the University conducts itself with institutional integrity. It provides clear information to its constituents about the goals, objectives, academic programs, plans, resources, strategic initiatives, and governance of the institution. It is clear that the University's goals and objectives are appropriate in the light of its mission and aspirations. The University takes pride in its traditions of strong institutional planning and broad based campus consultation involving faculty, staff, and administration.

It is significant that the last self-study and Middle States visit (1990) helped the University to begin to appreciate its strengths and the progress it had made during the 1980s. In fact, that self-study is viewed as a "moment of awakening," from which emerged the view that the University at Albany was deserving of major investment. Throughout the l990s, the University has enjoyed strong and stable leadership that has served the campus well. During this decade, positive working relationships between the faculty and administration, coupled with the administration's success in representing and advocating for the campus, have led to increased confidence by the campus in itself and subsequently to increased investment in the University. Substantial commitments made by the State for the renovation and expansion of the physical plant have strengthened the campus's view of itself as an institution with a bright future. The new Science Library, for example, symbolizes the University's phenomenal growth and progress reflecting particularly the high quality of the academic program. Moreover, the development of academic programs, a successful fundraising campaign, new scholarship programs that have attracted academically talented students, and such recent initiatives as Project Renaissance have all led to considerable excitement on the campus and a recognition that the University is a major force in New York and beyond. In addition the campus takes great pride in the findings of the national study on faculty productivity (Graham and Diamond) ranking it among the top 20 public institutions in the nation in terms of overall per-capita research productivity.

In recent years, the institution has engaged in extensive processes involving development of its mission statement, strategic planning, and facilities master planning. The University focused considerable attention on defining its character as a research university and on emphasizing areas of distinctiveness.