Arts leader and businessman to give Commencement Address

NEW PALTZ – Noah P. Dorsky, chair of the SUNY New Paltz Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SUNY New Paltz, and son of Samuel Dorsky, the namesake of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art on the New Paltz campus, will be the May 2011 Commencement Speaker.

“We thought it was quite fitting that Noah Dorsky speak at Commencement on this, the museum’s 10th anniversary,” said Interim President Donald Christian. “The Dorsky is a major cultural resource in the region, which is rapidly becoming an international destination for arts and culture. The museum attracts thousands of visitors from on and off campus each year. And its exhibitions enhance the learning experiences of our students, both in the fine arts and in other disciplines, including English, history and political science. And Noah is a great friend and supporter of the College.”

A New York City businessman, Dorsky is president and chief investment officer of Dorsky & Company, Inc., a private investment management and advisory firm. In addition, he is vice president of Kings Point Fine Arts, and managing member of Storage Associates, LLC, and SA Capital Group, LLC. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of two private foundations: The Dorsky Foundation, Inc. and Dorsky Gallery Curatorial Programs in Long Island City.

Along with his brother David and sister, Karen, Noah serves on the Advisory Board of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art. Together with another sibling, Sara Bedrick, the Dorsky family has been a major supporter of the Museum and of the College.

In 1994, Samuel Dorsky’s lead gift provided the impetus for the transformation of the former, single-room College Art Gallery into a brand new museum building linking the Smiley Art Building and McKenna Theater into an integrated fine arts complex, which opened in 2001. The six galleries, offices, storage and research facilities surrounding a common corridor now comprise the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.

Dorsky will address more than 1,600 students who are eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 22, on the Old Main Quadrangle.

Said Dorsky, “SUNY New Paltz has been receiving widespread accolades in the press for its impressive accomplishments, but what is often overlooked is that those achievements belong to the students who, in the truest sense, are SUNY New Paltz. That I have been privileged to play even a small role in their success has been one of the most gratifying accomplishments of my own life.”

In addition, endowed gifts from the Dorsky family to the museum have contributed to the creation of the Sara Bedrick Gallery and the establishment of the Museum Directorship named in honor of Neil C. Trager. Additionally, the family is committed to ongoing support of the museum’s exhibitions and programs. The Dorsky Museum uses its collections to enrich and amplify the academic programs at the College, and also presents changing exhibitions of art from the region and around the world for the benefit of students, local residents and the many tourists who visit the Hudson Valley each year.

Dorsky represented SUNY New Paltz as part of Chancellor Nancy Zimpher’s Group of 200, which culminated in the Power of SUNY strategic plan, and he participated on the search committee this year to select the next President of the College.

In 1974, Dorsky received his B.A. with honors in psychology from Brown University. In 1977, he received his M.A. in psychology from Johns Hopkins University. He has had his research published in psychology journals and taught psychology classes at the University of Baltimore and a Baltimore-area community college. He has two daughters, Allie, 23, and Erica, 21, of whom he is enormously proud. For fun, he enjoys playing guitar and drums. Of his musical talent, Noah says he is far less proud and for good reason.