College to honor professor, author, publisher and pundit

NEW PALTZ — The State University of New York at New Paltz Foundation will celebrate the life and career of professor, author, publisher and pundit Alan Chartock at 5:30 p.m. on March 12 at The Grandview in Poughkeepsie.

Alan Chartock
Photo by Ray Graf

The “Tributes and Just Desserts” event also serves as a fundraiser for a public policy speakers fund in the college’s newly-established Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO).

The event will feature a meet-and-greet reception, dessert and commentary from a number of Chartock’s former students and colleagues, including Ira Fusfeld ‘70, publisher of the Daily Freeman, and Kevin Lenihan ‘95, local news editor of the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Gerald Benjamin, the college’s dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences and director of the CRREO, called Chartock "a truly influential voice in New York politics. He is a talented teacher, loved and recognized by several generations of students in political science and journalism for the opportunities he has created for them. And he is the founder and still guiding force for one of the most respected public radio networks in the United States. It is wonderful that our new center will serve as the locus for a public policy speaker’s series named in Alan’s honor.”

Chartock, who joined the New Paltz faculty in 1971, is the founder and executive publisher of the Legislative Gazette, a nationally recognized program of the college linked to New Paltz’s Journalism program. For many years he created and ran an internship that placed several hundred New Paltz students full-time for an entire semester in offices in the New York legislature and offices throughout the state government, often launching them on careers in public life. Thanks to the experiences of working with Chartock at the Legislative Gazette, scores of New Paltz alumni have gone on to successful careers in media, law and politics.

Now Professor Emeritus at the University at Albany, Chartock is also the president, chief executive officer and a host at WAMC/Northeast Public Radio. His voice can be heard on the statewide public radio airwaves as host of the weekly Capitol Connection series, which covers New York politics.

Chartock has received numerous awards, including the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the New Paltz Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Teacher.

Tickets for the event are $125. For reservations and for more information about the event, contact the SUNY New Paltz Foundation office at (845) 257-3240.