About the University

Senior Administrative Officers

Robert J. Jones, President

Susan D. Phillips, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
Leanne Wirkkula, Chief of Staff
Steve J. Beditz, Vice President for Finance & Business
Christine A. Bouchard, Vice President for Student Success
Vincent Delio, Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships
James A. Dias, Vice President for Research
Christine Haile, Chief Information Officer
Alain E. Kaloyeros, Senior Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, College of
  Nanoscale Science & Engineering
Lee McElroy, Vice President for Athletic Administration/Director of
  Intercollegiate Athletics
Tamra Minor, Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion
John H. Reilly, Senior Counsel
Fardin Sanai, Vice President for University Development

2013-2014 University Council Members

Michael J. Castellana, (Chair) Guilderland
Pierre L. Alric, (Vice-Chair) Schenectady
Robert P. Balachandran, Esq., New York City
Patricia A. Caldwell, New York City
James M. Clancy, Delmar
John R. Fallon, Jr., Esq., New York City
James O. Jackson, Albany
Abner JeanPierre, Latham
Michael R. Stein, Cooperstown
Klara Botvinnik (Student Member), Brooklyn

Faculty Representative
 Joette Stefl-Mabry, Fishkill
Graduate Student Representative
 Gary Roth, Troy
Alumni Representative
 Timothy P. Murphy, Ballston Lake

Undergraduate Education

Jeanette Altarriba, Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education
Jeffrey J. Haugaard, Associate Vice Provost and Honors College Director
Linda M. Krzykowski, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Engagement
Leslie F. Halpern, Associate Dean for General Education

About the University

Established in 1844 and designated a university in 1962, the University at Albany is an internationally recognized public research institution that puts "The World Within Reach" to over 17,000 students at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Academic Programs

Students choose from 118 undergraduate majors and minors and 138 graduate programs. Many of these programs are nationally ranked, among them criminal justice, information science, 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.

More than 500 Ways to Study Abroad

UAlbany students take advantage of the more than 500 study abroad opportunities in over 50 countries 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 Renowned Programs:

Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine ranked the University at Albany as the 51st best public education value for out-of-state students and the 81st best value for in-state students for 2013, based on data provided by more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities. Forbes magazine placed UAlbany in its most recent (2011) top 100 "America's Best Public Colleges" list.

U.S. News and World Report ranks several UAlbany programs among the nation’s best, including 19 in the top 100 and 12 in the top 50. UAlbany's School of Business was ranked 86th in the U.S. among 450 MBA-granting institutions. The Journal of School Psychology placed UAlbany’s school psychology program seventh in scholarly productivity among the nation’s 59 APA-accredited school psychology doctoral (Psy.D. and Ph.D.) programs.

In 2010, European CEO Magazine named UAlbany’s School of Business as the most innovative in the Northeast. The latest survey of nanotechnology programs, by Small Times magazine in 2009, ranked UAlbany’s College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering #1 among all colleges and universities in the world. National renown for excellence in recent years has also come to UAlbany programs in information and technology management, social welfare, clinical and counseling psychology, reading, accounting and atmospheric science.

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. 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 Social Work Education
  • Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission 
  • 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 Avenue, Albany, 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 and a Campus Center expansion/renovation are currently underway.

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. Liberty Terrace opened in Fall 2012 and provides another 500 new apartment-style beds. 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. 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, 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, two main locker rooms, and several 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, weight and wrestling rooms, a dance studio, and basketball, handball and squash courts.

A new Multi-Use Athletics Facility, providing seating for approximately 6,000 spectators and equipped with a synthetic turf field to accommodate both football and soccer, will open in Fall 2013. A new outdoor Track & Field venue will open in Spring 2014, featuring a nine-lane track surface, and complete reconditioning of the natural turf infield for field events.

Extending westward and adjacent to the Uptown Campus is the home to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex is a fully-integrated research, development, prototyping, and educational facility. Through corporate and governmental investments, the college has built the most advanced research complex of its kind at any university in the world: $14 billion, 800,000 square feet of cutting-edge facilities that attract corporate partners from around the world and offer 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 Service Desk, 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

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/