SUNY New Paltz dean writes 14th book, receives honors from alma mater

NEW PALTZ — Gerald Benjamin, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the State University of New York at New Paltz, received honors on Saturday as a distinguished alumni of his undergraduate alma mater, St. Lawrence University, just three weeks before the publication of his 14th book.

Benjamin, Class of ’65, was selected for exemplary professional accomplishments.

“St. Lawrence’s decision to honor me with this award was entirely unexpected,” said Benjamin. “I’m delighted to have this recognition from my undergraduate college.”

Benjamin received the alumni citation on Saturday, June 2, during the Canton, New York, university’s alumni reunion weekend at which it hosted more than 1,000 alumni and guests.

Benjamin’s books are about state and local government with a focus on New York state. The newest, Regionalism and Realism: A Study of Governments in the New York Metropolitan Area, was written with Richard P. Nathan, director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York.

The book, which will be published by The Century Foundation and Brookings Institution Press on June 20, devotes attention to the values reformers must balance in tackling the reformation and regionalization of local governments in the complex world of American politics and public policy. It draws on the history of 2,179 state and local governments in the New York tri-state metropolitan region, paying special attention to New York City.

For more information on Benjamin’s alumni citation, contact Macreena Doyle, Office of University Communications at St. Lawrence University at (315) 229-5587.

Photographs taken at the awards ceremony will be available electronically on the SUNY New Paltz Web site by Saturday, June 9. Access them at http://hawk.newpaltz.edu/news/images/benjamin.html.