University at Albany, State University of New York

The University at Albany has evolved and grown throughout its 162-year history to meet the changing needs of society, and is today an internationally recognized public research university with a broad mission of undergraduate and graduate education, research and service. More than 17,000 students are enrolled in UAlbany's ten schools and colleges, including the new Honors College. Outstanding and highly productive faculty offer 177 undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs.

The University is distinguished by excellence within distinctive disciplines and professions and by extensive scholarship and teaching across disciplines. Many combined accelerated degree options meld knowledge and application. The University boasts academic strengths in sociology, demography, education, anthropology, social work, clinical psychology, creative writing, earth and atmospheric sciences, ethics, public policy, criminal justice and nanoscale science.

UAlbany is a highly selective institution that aspires to become more selective. A major institutional priority is to enhance the learning and living environment for undergraduate students.

Across the undergraduate curriculum, the University fosters opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research with faculty. The research programs act as a beacon for the enrollment and retention of highly qualified students and enable the discovery and dissemination of fundamental knowledge. Innovative degree programs with an international focus and more than 300 study-abroad programs prepare students for the global economy. Bachelor's degrees are offered in 54 majors in the arts and sciences, business and accounting, public policy, criminal justice, information science, pre-law and pre-health.

UAlbany faculty are engaged in research in a wide range of fields and their work is attracting growing levels of support. Research expenditures nearly doubled in four years to $150 million in 2005-2006. Currently, there are four federally funded research centers.

The University plays a major role in the economic development of the Capital Region and New York State, particularly through its programs in nanosciences and nanotechnology and in biotechnology and biomedical sciences – all programs where University researchers work closely with governmental and business partners. An economic impact study in 2004 estimated UAlbany's $1.1 billion annually in New York State -- $1 billion of that in the Capital Region.

UAlbany is a vibrant hub, offering a rich array of music, theater, lectures, art exhibitions, athletic activities and more, all open to both the campus community and the community beyond the campus. UAlbany's intercollegiate athletics program, with 19 sports competing at the NCAA Division I level, has achieved increasing success. In 2006, the Great Danes men's basketball team advanced for the first time to the Division I NCAA tournament, where it thrilled a national television audience in a near-upset of top-seeded UConn.

UAlbany is working to forge stronger connections and partnerships with its neighbors, and to strengthen the neighborhoods in which it is rooted. Through UAlbany's new alliance with Albany High School, a number of collaborative efforts are aimed at increasing the college-bound focus of Albany's secondary school students. Another major focus of University outreach efforts is identifying and supporting ways in which communities can help the elderly enjoy the highest quality of life.

Since its founding in 1844, the University has graduated generations of leaders in all fields. Today, a significant cohort of undergraduates go on for advanced degrees, and acceptances to law and medical schools are well above the national average.  UAlbany has more than 136,000 living alumni.

Facilities:
The University at Albany spans three campuses.

The historic downtown campus, completed in 1929, is located three miles from the uptown campus. The uptown campus, built in the 1960s, was designed by Edward Durell Stone. The setting is highlighted by a podium of 13 academic buildings on a common platform, all connected by a continuous roof and a lower-level corridor. Although most classrooms, laboratories and residential facilities are on this campus, the Schools of Criminal Justice, Social Welfare, the College of Computing and Information and the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, are located on the downtown campus. The downtown campus includes residential, instructional, clinical, and research facilities.

The University's third campus, the East Campus, was added in 1996. It is located across the Hudson River in East Greenbush and is the home of the School of Public Health. In 2005, it also became home to the Gen*NY*Sis Center for Excellence in Cancer Genomics, which combined UAlbany research expertise in genomics and biomedical sciences with state-of-the-art technology in a new building.

Bus shuttle service connects the campuses.

A major development in recent years has been the creation of the $3 billion, 450,000-square-foot Albany NanoTech research complex, which is the home of UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

To advance its research mission, the University also opened a Life Sciences Research Building in 2004. The Boor Sculpture Studio, offering first-rate facilities for the making of three-dimensional art, opened in 2002.

In addition to these new facilities and existing classrooms and laboratories, the uptown campus includes the University Library, the Science Library, the University Art Museum and the Performing Arts Center with its theatres, recital halls, rehearsal rooms, and instructional areas are also on the academic podium.

Approximately 7,000 students live on campus in the four uptown towers and the Freedom Quad and Empire Commons residences and the downtown Alumni Quad. Many graduate students opt to live in Alumni Quad, Empire Commons or in Freedom Quad.

The University at Albany is committed to developing information technology literacy. Eleven computer user rooms around campus, as well as web access in the residential facilities and wireless access throughout the podium, assure that every student has access to a computer and the resources of the campus computer network. Students and faculty can tap the power of multimedia learning in the impressively equipped Interactive Media Center in the main Library. The libraries contain over two million volumes with many specialized collections and an on-line catalogue. The University Libraries are a member of the Association of Research Libraries, an Association representing the 123 largest research libraries in North America.

The Campus Center houses a Barnes & Noble book store, banking services, and food court area, and is a popular gathering place for students.

UAlbany's sports facilities are among the finest in the Northeast. For outdoor sports there are tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts, an all-weather track, and fields for football, soccer, softball, baseball, and rugby.  In addition UAlbany has recently added two turf fields to the athletic complex, John Fallon Field is home to men's and women's lacrosse and Alumni Turf Field is the home to women's field hockey and open to the general student population for intramurals and other activities. The UAlbany SEFCU Arena has an indoor track, racquetball and squash courts, and a fitness room with Nautilus machines, stationary bikes, and weight-training equipment. Concerts and other community and University events are also held in the UAlbany SEFCU Arena, which seats 4,538. The University's intercollegiate athletic program moved up to the Division I level in 1999. The University is also the summer training home of the New York Giants.

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