SUNY Trustees Appoint Laurence M. Hauptman Distinguished Professor

NEW PALTZ — The SUNY Board of Trustees has appointed SUNY New Paltz professor of history Laurence M. Hauptman to the highest rank that can be achieved by a State University educator, that of distinguished professor. The rank is above that of full professor. The action took place at the SUNY Board of Trustees meeting held on September 22, 1999.

Hauptman is nationally recognized in the field of Native American studies and is the leading expert on the history of the post-colonial Iroquois. As an expert on Indian policy in New York State, he has twice received the Peter Doctor Memorial Foundation Award, a distinguished service award, and the highest honor that can be bestowed by the Iroquois for work that has been beneficial to the image of the Indian. Professor Hauptman has also received a commendation from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut for his “dedicated contribution in making the Mashantucket Pequot Historical Conference a complete success.”

“Larry Hauptman is one of New Paltz’s most distinguished and prolific scholars whose work about, with, and for Native Americans of New York State stands as a model of engaged historical scholarship,” stated SUNY New Paltz President Roger Bowen. “We are fortunate to count Professor Hauptman as one of our own. He is most deserving of the title ‘Distinguished Professor.'”

Hauptman is the author of more than a dozen books on Native Americans. In recent months, Syracuse Press and the University of Wisconsin Press have published Conspiracy of Interests: Iroquois Dispossession and the Rise of New York State and The Oneida Indian Journey: From New York to Wisconsin 1784-1860, respectively. His books have twice earned the Choice magazine award for an outstanding scholarly book. Between Two Fires: American Indians in the Civil War (Simon & Schuster: The Free Press) earned the award in 1995 and The Iroquois Struggle for Survival: World War II to Red Power (Syracuse University Press) earned the award in 1986.

Since 1989, he has served as the General Editor on the Iroquois Books Series for Syracuse University Press. Earlier this year, he was awarded the John Ben Snow Prize for the best book published by Syracuse University Press in 1999, Conspiracy of Interests: Iroquois Dispossession and the Rise of New York State.

At the request of Senator Daniel Inouye, Representative Amory Houghton and the Seneca Nation of Indians Tribal Council, Hauptman was asked to present oral and written expert testimony on the history of the Seneca Nation–City of Salamanca lease controversy before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Interior and Insular Affairs, and the United States Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. In 1998, Hauptman received a plaque and special recognition from the president of the Seneca people for his research and testimony. The plaque read, “We thank you for your spirit. We entrusted you to testify and reveal the truth on behalf of the Seneca people. We relied upon your dedication and commitment to the Seneca people.”

Hauptman earned his doctorate in American history from New York University (NYU) and has taught history at SUNY New Paltz since 1971. In addition, Hauptman has taught at NYU, the University of New Mexico, and Saint Bonaventure University Graduate School. In 1986, he was a Senior Fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.

The New Paltz professor has served or is currently serving as a consultant to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut; the New York Botanical Gardens; and the Oneida Nation Museum, DePere, Wisconsin, Rochester Museum and Science Center; the Office of Exhibit Planning of the New York State Museum; and others.

Appointment to the rank of Distinguished Professor is conferred on professors who have achieved national or international prominence in their field. The promotion represents a rank above that of full professor. Nominations for Distinguished Professor arise from the faculty and student body on the nominating campus. A State University System Administration advisory committee evaluates the nominees and makes recommendations to the Chancellor, who presents them to the Board of Trustees for approval.