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History professor gives virtual talk on founding of Schenectady

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Professor Lou Roper presented at a Schenectady County Historical Society (SCHS) event on Wednesday, March 24, about the early history of this upstate New York city after it was settled by Dutch and English colonists.

In “The Wider World of Early Schenectady,” Roper considered the city’s founding, its early culture and politics, and the 17th century history of interactions between colonists and Native populations in New York state and North America more broadly.

Roper, who earned the rank of SUNY Distinguished Professor in 2019, is recognized as a leading expert early American history and European colonization along the Atlantic coast.

His virtual talk at the Schenectady County Historical Society extends a connection between that organization and New Paltz’s Department of History: Mary Zawacki ’09 (History; French), the executive director of the SCHS, is a New Paltz alumna and 2017 40 Under Forty honoree.

Learn more here about the Department of History, its faculty, programs and offerings for students.