Nearly 1,200 first-year students and roughly 900 transfer students will join the SUNY New Paltz community this fall, as the College prepares to welcome one of the largest and most diverse incoming classes in its history.
New Paltz faculty and staff will introduce themselves to the new students during the annual Welcome Week tradition, which is highlighted by Moving-In Day on Aug. 23, and the fall Convocation Ceremony on Aug. 24. Returning students will continue to arrive through the weekend before classes begin on Aug. 27.
2018 marks the second consecutive year that SUNY New Paltz will reach the 2,000 new incoming undergraduate student benchmark.
“We are pleased to once again welcome a historically large incoming class of students who meet and exceed our competitive admissions standards,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management L. David Eaton. “This year’s entering first-year and transfer students have distinguished themselves as scholars and as leaders, in and out of the classroom, and it is a privilege to congratulate them as they begin their journeys at SUNY New Paltz.”
This is also the most racially and ethnically diverse class in the College’s history. Roughly 45 percent of the incoming first-year students are from traditionally underrepresented demographic groups, as are about 34 percent of incoming transfers, a change driven largely by increases in the proportion of incoming Latino students.
In addition to gains in undergraduate enrollment and diversity of the student body, the 2018-19 academic year will see an increase in graduate students enrolled at SUNY New Paltz.
Graduate program enrollment is up 23 percent, with notable growth in the School of Education (especially School Leadership, Literacy, and Second Language Education programs).
The SUNY New Paltz MBA program continues to see enrollment increases following the recent addition of an accelerated curriculum, and the graduate program in Communication Disorders will welcome a large incoming class, thanks in part to the expansion and renovation of the Speech-Language and Hearing Center earlier this year.
The fall 2018 semester will also see the first class of students enrolled in the College’s new undergraduate program in Business Analytics, the first of its kind at this level anywhere in the SUNY system.
Improvements to campus infrastructure will continue through the 2018-19 academic year, headlined by ongoing construction at the site of the future Engineering Innovation Hub. Work at the new academic building, which broke ground in October 2017, is currently ahead of schedule and on track to open in 2019.
Upon completion, this nearly 19,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will help support and diversify the College’s rapidly growing engineering programs and support collaboration between the College and local industry.
The investment in this modern learning space was made possible by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s NYSUNY 2020 grant competition, through which SUNY New Paltz was awarded $10 million to support economic development in New York State. The Engineering Innovation Hub is projected to yield an economic impact of more than $75 million, and 195 jobs, over a 10-year period.
This fall, SUNY New Paltz will open a new, 240-space expansion to the Route 32 parking lot on the east side of campus, to accommodate commuting students, faculty and campus visitors.
The College purchased the lot abutting existing Route 32 parking in 2017, and began developing the parking expansion soon thereafter. The project also includes the relocation of three pedestrian crosswalks on Route 32. New crossing signals at the main walkway are scheduled for installation this fall.
A brand new bakery has opened on campus and will serve residents, commuters and visitors beginning this fall. Sweets & Treats, located in the Hasbrouck Dining Hall, will serve fresh, seasonal baked goods made from scratch, as well as soup, Paninis and Peet’s Coffee.
A grand opening of Sweets & Treats will be held on Aug. 27, featuring apple cider doughnuts and other signature items.
