General Information

Project Renaissance is an innovative, year-long program that offers selected elements of a small-college atmosphere -- some small classes, close acquaintance with faculty in the program, and community living -- as it introduces first-year students to the University at Albany. The project was designed with the belief that by giving our entering students an integrated, interdisciplinary course of study, they will better be able to take advantage of the rest of their general education experience and the wide range of opportunities that are offered by a research university such as Albany.

History

Project Renaissance grew out of the faculty-led initiative that established the University's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in 1994. Those same faculty began to consider a program for first-year students that would offer them the best possible orientation to a research university. The end result was Project Renaissance and its first 200 students in Fall 1996.

Courses and General Education

Project Renaissance courses are interdisciplinary and designed to introduce students to a community of inquiry, while recognizing that many of them have educational or career goals already in mind. Students may choose from a number of different tracks intended for those with interest in certain majors -- Arts and Humanities, Pre-Business/Economics, Pre-Health, Pre-Law, and Psychology/Sociology -- or the General Program, which is designed for students who are undecided or interested in any major offered at the University.

These courses also fulfill a significant fraction of the University's General Education requirements. The General Program and all of the tracks satisfy one Writing Intensive requirement and, through the technology component, the Information Literacy requirement; most students will also satisfy the requirement in Oral Discourse. In addition, over the course of the year, all students will satisfy another three to five requirements in such disciplinary fields as Humanities, Natural Science, Pluralism and Diversity, and Social Science.

Living and Learning

Students who participate in Project Renaissance live and learn together, thus bridging the gap between the classroom and the residence halls. At the heart of Project Renaissance is a grouping of two to four floors of students around a common curriculum (see section immediately above). Those who have taken part in the program often point out that they have made lasting friendships and social networks as a result of the living-learning experience, thereby easing the transition from high school to college. Statistics reveal another positive benefit: students in Project Renaissance are less likely to drop out or leave the University (94% retention rate for sophomore year).

How to Register

Participation in Project Renaissance is open to all freshmen on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration in the program is done no later than April of the senior year. The program accommodates approximately 400 students.

Contact Information

If you have questions, please contact us:

• E-mail -- projren@albany.edu
• Phone -- (518) 442-5333
• Mail -- Project Renaissance
  LC-31
  University at Albany, SUNY
  1400 Washington Avenue
  Albany, NY 12222