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The State University of New York College at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State College or, colloquially, "Geneseo") is a public liberal arts college in Geneseo, New York. It is New York's public honors college and part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The college was founded in 1867 as the Wadsworth Normal and Training School before it became part of the new State University of New York system as a state liberal arts college in 1948.[6]
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Former name | Wadsworth Normal and Training School (1867–1871) Geneseo Normal and Training School (1871–1905) Geneseo Normal School (1905–1942) Geneseo State Teachers College (1942–1948) State University of New York Teachers College at Geneseo (1948–1962)[1] |
|---|---|
| Motto | To Learn, To Search, To Serve (SUNY motto) |
| Type | Public liberal arts college |
| Established | 1867 |
Parent institution | State University of New York |
Academic affiliations | Space-grant |
| Endowment | $31.4 million (2019)[2] |
| President | Denise Battles |
| Provost | Mary C. Toale, Ed.D. |
Academic staff | 241 (92% full-time)[3] |
| Students | 4,910 (2021)[4] |
| Undergraduates | 4,828 (2021)[4] |
| Postgraduates | 82 (2021)[4] |
| Location | , , United States |
| Campus | Rural (small town) 220 acres (0.89 km2) |
| Colors | Blue and Gray [5] |
| Nickname | Knights |
| Mascot | Victor E. Knight |
| Website | geneseo.edu |
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The initial predecessor to SUNY Geneseo opened in 1867 as the Wadsworth Normal and Training School through an act of the New York State Legislature. However, the legislature later changed the new college's name to the Geneseo Normal and Training School before it officially opened on September 13, 1871.[7] The name was shortened in 1905, however, to just the Geneseo Normal School.
The school, which initially only offered two-year courses of study, grew to offer three-year programs in 1922 and four-year programs in 1938. Bachelor's degrees, however, were not awarded for the first time until 1942, when the school additionally became the Geneseo State Teachers College. Six years later, in 1948, the college became an initial member of the State University of New York system and adopted the new name State University of New York Teachers College at Geneseo. At this time, the school also gained the right to grant master's degrees in education and, by 1951, was awarding its initial graduate degrees.
In 1962, the school adopted its current name, State University of New York College at Geneseo. Just two years later, in 1964, the school began to offer four-year bachelor's degrees in subjects other than education.[8]
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Geneseo is a public liberal arts college with 48 undergraduate majors, 5 master's programs, and 25 interdisciplinary minors. The most popular majors, in descending order, are education, business, the social sciences, biology, and psychology.[9]
The student population is 3,957, with a student/faculty ratio of 15:1 and an average class size of 25. Nearly 90% of Geneseo's full-time faculty holds a Ph.D. or other terminal degree.
Geneseo is part of the New York Space Grant Consortium,[10] and is provided grants by NASA to support outer-space related research on-campus..
Administration
Following the retirement of long-time President Christopher Dahl, Denise Battles became the college's president in July 2015.[11]
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Geneseo is among 44 "Best Buy Schools" in the 2021 edition of "The Fiske Guide to Colleges." In September 2016, Princeton Review named Geneseo one of the nation's 381 best institutions for undergraduate education.[14]
Admissions
Geneseo's acceptance rate is 65% as of 2021.[15]
Phi Beta Kappa
Geneseo has a chapter of the oldest academic honor society in the United States, Phi Beta Kappa.[16] SUNY's four university centers already had chapters; Geneseo's establishment of a chapter is significant because it was the first (and is currently the only) of New York's thirteen state comprehensive colleges to receive the honor.[17]
The inaugural ΦΒΚ class was inducted to Geneseo's Alpha-Gamma of New York chapter in April 2004.[16]
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SUNY Geneseo is on the Genesee Valley's eastern side. Of Geneseo's approximately 5,000 full-time residents, some 70% work at or are in some way affiliated with the college, making Geneseo a "college town."
The campus is laid out in generally the same shape as the state of New York; almost all residence halls are named after counties in the state.
In 2003, the college began the largest capital improvement project in the history of the SUNY system. The Integrated Science Facility (pictured right) is a 105,000-square-foot (9,800 m2) building equipped with a nuclear accelerator. The Center opened in the Spring of 2007. On the new building's opening, Greene Hall (a science building constructed in 1970) was shut down and completely renovated.
The James V. Sturges building, the central clock tower of the main Sturges Quad is Geneseo's signature building.
At the far end of the South Village Residences, the college maintains the 20-acre (81,000 m2) Spencer J. Roemer Arboretum wherein are preserved "more than 70 species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers, including a magnificent group of oak trees which are more than 200 years old, and several black walnut trees estimated to be over 100 years old."[18]
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Geneseo's students celebrate many traditions and campus legends.
The Bronze Bear
Just off campus, in the center of Main Street in Geneseo sits the famous Bronze Bear statue. "The Bear" also plays host to any number of spontaneous decorations and pranks throughout the academic year. A story also circulates that one of the wealthy Wadsworth daughters saw the bear fountain in a small town in Germany, fell in love with it, bought it, and sent it back to Geneseo in the early 19th century. This story is unverified, but an excerpt from a history of the family that settled the valley implies that this is not true, and that the fountain was designed and built for its current location: "[Main Street] is still dominated by a drinking fountain for horses dedicated to Mrs. Emmeline Austin Wadsworth. For some obscure reason its designer placed a short pole in its center on top of which sits a cunning little iron bear, who is generally known as 'Aunt Emmeline'".[19]
Ice hockey games
In recent years, the college's ice hockey games in the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena have become major campus events.
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The Geneseo college seal was unveiled in July 1968. According to the college's office of publications, the seal is a representation of the college's location and mission: "The circular design features a flame from the torch of knowledge surrounded by leaves symbolic of the bucolic setting of SUNY Geneseo and its growth. Both are atop waves symbolizing the historic Genesee River."[20]
In 1986, the college designed a logo to "provide the College with an identity mark that was more readily identifiable than the College Seal and was not meant to replace the College Seal." Again drawing on the college's unique surroundings, "the graphic underneath the word 'Geneseo' symbolizes the rolling and rural character of the surrounding Genesee Valley." The typeface used in this logo, and in many other college publications, is Galliard.[20]
In October 2012, Geneseo unveiled a new logotype, featured in the infobox above. Bill Caren, Geneseo's Associate Vice President of Enrollment, stated the new word mark reflected "[Geneseo's] competitors' logos," which are less stylized. "If [Geneseo] wants to be perceived in the same category as its competitors," Caren added, "it would be good to have a logo that corresponds on the same level." The logotype was met with mixed responses by the student body, although its implementation throughout campus continued unhindered.[21]
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Geneseo fields 19 varsity sports programs (7 men's 12 women's) at the NCAA Division III level.
Geneseo students can take part in various activities with several organizations, including The Lamron, an independent student newspaper published since 1922, Geneseo Student Television (GSTV), an award-winning Model United Nations team,[citation needed] a nationally competitive Federal Reserve Challenge club, WGSU, a federally-licensed radio station, five a cappella groups (Southside Boys, Exit 8, Hips & Harmony, Emmelodics, and Between the Lines), Musical Theatre Club, and Currently Known As (an improvisation group).[citation needed]
Greek life began at Geneseo in 1871, originally as literary societies. The college hosts several local Greek organizations along with national organizations, as is common in the SUNY schools. As of 2019, about 30% of students were active in either social or professional and service Greek organizations.[22]
Alumni
Entertainment
- Glenn Gordon Caron (class of 1975), TV producer
- Jenna Wolfe, anchor of NBC's Weekend Today.
- Greg Fox (class of 1983), artist/writer
- Calvin Culver, actor, writer, producer
- Daniel Barwick (class of 1990), college president
- Howard Blumenthal, author
- Qurrat Ann Kadwani, actress, playwright, film producer[23]
- Chelsea Noble (formerly Nancy Mueller; class of 1987), film and TV actress
- William Sadler, actor
- Joe Langworth (class of 1988), actor, choreographer and director
- J.T. The Brick, talk-show host
- Marissa Mulder (class of 2007), cabaret artist[24]
- Curt Smith (class of 1973), broadcaster and speech writer
- Brittany Lauda, actress
- CGP Grey, web personality.[25][26][failed verification]
- Gregg 'Opie' Hughes, radio broadcaster
Academia
- William T. Amiger (class of 1898), educator, minister[27][28]
Sciences
- Brian L. DeMarco (class of 1996), Professor of Physics[29]
- My Hang V. Huynh (class of 1991) energy researcher[30]
Government, business, law, activist
- Liz Allen (class of 2006), Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of United States.[31]
- Jeff Clarke (class of 1983), CEO of Kodak[32][33]
- Adrianna Hungerford (1858-1946), President, Colorado State Woman's Christian Temperance Union
- David Klein, CFO of Constellation Brands.[34]
- Ray Kotcher, non-executive chairman and advisor to Ketchum Inc.
- Joseph D. Morelle, U.S. representative for New York's 25th congressional district since 2018. Former New York State Assembly Majority Leader, 2013–2018[35]
- Jackie Norris (class of 1992), former Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama.[36]
- Eleanor Roosevelt Seagraves, granddaughter of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, librarian, educator, historian, and editor.
- Raymond Walter (class of 1994), New York State Assemblyman
Military
- John Loomis Chamberlain, U.S. Army major general[37]
Sports
- Tyler Brickler, hockey player
Faculty
- Bill Cook and Ron Herzman, professors of History and English.
- Rita K. Gollin, Professor of English.
- Walter Harding, Professor of English.
- Carol Harter, Geneseo's eleventh president.
- David Maslanka, Professor of music.[38]
- Eoin McKiernan, Professor of Irish Studies.
- Rudy Rucker, Professor of Mathematics.
- Clarence F. Stephens, Professor of mathematics
- Blanche Jennings Thompson, Author
- James Willey, Professor of Music[39]
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