College to welcome more than 1,800 new students

Back to school

SUNY New Paltz welcomed 1,100 first-year students and their families for Moving In Day on Aug. 20.

According to L. David Eaton, vice president for enrollment management, about 700 transfer students joined them for the start of classes on Aug. 24. He noted that with the addition of the newest residence hall, Ridgeview, the College can provide on-campus housing for about 300 transfer students, which was instrumental in meeting its transfer student target.

“This is an exciting time to be at New Paltz,” said Eaton. “The College once again has met its admission targets to support our goal of maintaining a stable undergraduate enrollment. We are proud to welcome these competitive, diverse and academically talented students.”

This year also marks the 26th consecutive year New Paltz had more applications for undergraduate admission (17,720) than any other SUNY comprehensive college.

“Every year, New Paltz attracts high-caliber students from diverse backgrounds and under-represented groups from across the state, nation and around the world,” said Lisa Jones, dean of admission. “And this year is no exception.”

The College expects about 500 international students, including nearly 150 new international students from 23 countries, to join the campus community this fall.

New co-curricular transcript gives students competitive edge
New Paltz students can now get an official co-curricular transcript to show off their participation and achievements outside of the classroom.

Offered as a supplement to the academic transcript, the student-initiated record was developed to give students a competitive edge when applying for jobs or graduate programs.

“Employers and graduate schools want candidates who are well-rounded and have demonstrated that they are actively engaged in leadership roles, their community and that they’re volunteering and taking advantage of study abroad and other experiential experiences,” said Linda Eaton, associate vice president for student affairs. “The co-curricular transcript gives students an official place to highlight their accomplishments outside of the classroom in addition to their academic transcript and resume.”

The transcript, which is validated by academic and professional faculty at the College, is organized around categories that reflect co-curricular activities at New Paltz and student identification of learned skills in each of these activities. These include: Academic Related Experiences, Campus Committee Membership, Community Service, Honors and Awards, Leadership Activities, Student Government and Organizations.

Eaton noted that the program can be used as a search engine for students who are looking to gain particular skills.

For example, if a student feels that they would like to gain public speaking skills, they can put that skill in the program and it will populate all the experiences where that skill can be gained,” she said. “It’s a valuable asset for students when trying to get ahead.

Unprecedented construction at New Paltz continues

To tackle unmet housing demands, achieve 21st century learning standards and consolidate services to better meet student needs, numerous construction projects are underway at New Paltz. Three new buildings, three major renovations and infrastructural upgrades, in various stages, are on schedule with some to be completed before the end of 2015.

“In 2010, we developed a facilities master plan for the entire campus that helps us prioritize and implement our capital construction projects,” said John Shupe, assistant vice president for Facilities Management. “This plan not only guides us now, but is a roadmap that we will use to help us plan projects over the next 20 years. Our staff is working diligently to make that plan a reality.”

On Aug. 11, the College celebrated the opening of Ridgeview Hall. The new $33 million building helps meet significant student demand for on-campus housing. Located between the Athletic and Wellness Center and Lenape and Esopus halls, it is the most modern student housing facility on campus and features a new café and an unparalleled view of the iconic Shawangunk Ridge.

“The opening of Ridgeview Hall is an exciting addition to the College and will help meet significant student demand for safe and reliable housing,” said President Donald P. Christian.

“Continued progress on building and improving our physical environment is critical to our ability to serve current and future students with the high-quality programs and opportunities they deserve. Ridgeview Hall is a modern, optimal living and learning space and we’re pleased that it will offer more of our students the opportunity to become more involved in campus life.”

Other campus construction projects underway include: Sojourner Truth Library renovation ($14 million), to be complete late fall 2015; Wooster Building renovation ($37 million), opening January 2016; Mohonk West ($1.3 million), opening mid-fall 2015; Service Building renovation ($5.4 million), wrapping up in 2016; Science Building ($48 million), opening early 2017; and the Engineering Innovation Hub ($14 million), opening 2019.

According to Shupe,The most important piece of information to come out of our facilities master plan is that we currently have an academic space shortage of approximately 360,000 sq. ft. compared to SUNY and national standards. Once the new science building and the Engineering Innovation Hub are constructed, we will reduce that deficit by approximately 107,000 sq. ft. This will help position our campus to better serve our students.”

For more information on these projects, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/construction/.

3D printing gains popularity; Advanced Manufacturing Center and MakerBot Innovation Center move to larger space in Smiley Arts Building
New Paltz has taken a national lead in combining desktop and industrial 3D printers in both educational uses and in outreach to individuals and companies in the region and state, thanks to its established 3D printing initiative.

Over the last year, hundreds of students, faculty, staff and members of the community have been exposed to the technology. This includes the more than 70 regional companies and entrepreneurs employing 3D printing design and manufacturing services provided by faculty, staff and student interns through the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center (HVAMC). The Center, launched in spring 2013, brings state-of-the-art 3D printing equipment and a curriculum in Digital Design and Fabrication (DDF) to the region, giving rise to powerful forces—art and technology, creativity and ingenuity.

The 2015-16 academic year will see the continuation of the DDF certificate program, a unique and innovative course of study that combines instruction in 3D printing and computational media with an emphasis on artful design. The program began in fall 2013, drawing on the resources of the MakerBot Innovation Center and the expertise of its staff to help students, and particularly those interested in art and design, prepare for careers that incorporate 3D printing. The second cohort of 7 students completed the 4-course certificate in May 2015.

According to Dan Freedman, director of the HVAMC and dean of the School of Science & Engineering, “The Hudson Valley is home to amazing artists, designers, engineers and many other people who can do amazing things with 3D design and printing technology.  The DDF program is innovative, hands-on and practical and will help students and professionals alike learn how to apply this technology in any field.”

Freedman noted that thanks to the technology’s popularity, the HVAMC as well as the MakerBot Innovation Center have moved to a larger space—the former Black Box Theatre in Smiley Arts Building—on the New Paltz campus. This space will be used until the new Engineering Innovation Hub is built. The new space is being funded by state dollars secured by Senator John Bonacic (Mt. Hope – R/C/I). Meanwhile, the Black Box Theatre will move to the van den Berg Annex.

Center for Innovation in Education to launch this fall
The School of Education is preparing to launch the Center for Innovation in Education at New Paltz (CIE@NP), one of four SUNY-wide innovation centers that will offer an array of teacher training services to regional students, faculty, school districts and networks of k-12 teachers. The CIE@NP will function as the program’s downstate hub, supporting education throughout the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island.

The mission of the CIE@NP is to advance collaboration, enrich curriculum and enhance clinical practice across all levels of instruction. It will do so primarily in three areas of focus:

TeachLivE Mixed-Reality Classroom Simulation
The TeachLivE Lab is unique in its ability to realistically simulate different kinds of interactive teaching environments for multiple audiences in a way that allows present and future educators to develop their pedagogical practice in a safe, responsive environment.

Multi-Disciplinary Curriculum Development
New Paltz faculty in the School of Education and in other disciplines across the College will work with regional k-12 teachers to develop and implement new lesson plans for instruction at all levels. Curriculum development teams will work to diversify classroom content and help teachers incorporate Common Core principles in their work with students. Two such units have already been completed, and CIE administrators are presently evaluating a number of additional proposals.

3D Printing
Through partnerships with school districts, teacher collectives and organizations such as the Mid-Hudson Teachers’ Center (MHTC), the 3D printing component of the CIE@NP aims to bring 3D design and printing to the k-12 audience. Advanced manufacturing experts at New Paltz are working with educators and Master Teachers in 3D printing instruction, and the CIE@NP will provide schools and learning centers access to printers and design software through grants and loan programs. These efforts will ensure that significant numbers of Hudson Valley youngsters have the chance to benefit from exposure to this burgeoning technology.

The SUNY Centers for Innovation in Education are funded by SUNY Teacher and Leader Education Network (S-TEN) grants made available by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). They are designed to bring the Regents Reform Agenda to higher education by helping schools of education expand clinically-rich preparation of future teachers, and leaders promote performance assessment and use data to inform decisions. More information about S-TEN is available online at https://www.suny.edu/s-ten/.