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State University of New York at Geneseo

Coordinates: 42°47′44″N 77°49′10″W / 42.795668°N 77.819547°W / 42.795668; -77.819547
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State University of New York College at Geneseo
Former name
Wadsworth Normal and Training School (1867–1871)
Geneseo Normal and Training School (1871–1905)
Geneseo Normal School (1905–1942)
Geneseo State Teachers College (1942–1948)
State University of New York Teachers College at Geneseo (1948–1962)[1]
MottoTo Learn, To Search, To Serve (SUNY motto)
TypePublic liberal arts college
Established1867; 157 years ago (1867)
Parent institution
State University of New York
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
Endowment$31.4 million (2019)[2]
PresidentDenise Battles
ProvostJoseph Cope (interim)
Academic staff
241 (92% full-time)[3]
Students4,910 (2021)[4]
Undergraduates4,828 (2021)[4]
Postgraduates82 (2021)[4]
Location
Geneseo
,
New York
,
United States
CampusRural (small town) 220 acres (0.89 km2)
ColorsBlue and Gray    [5]
NicknameKnights
MascotVictor E. Knight
Websitegeneseo.edu

The State University of New York College at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State College or, colloquially, "Geneseo") is a public liberal arts college in Geneseo, New York. It is New York's public honors college and part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The college was founded in 1867 as the Wadsworth Normal and Training School before it became part of the new State University of New York system as a state liberal arts college in 1948.[6]

Wadsworth School, c. 1904

History

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The initial predecessor to SUNY Geneseo opened in 1867 as the Wadsworth Normal and Training School through an act of the New York State Legislature. However, the legislature later changed the new college's name to the Geneseo Normal and Training School before it officially opened on September 13, 1871.[7] The name was shortened in 1905, however, to just the Geneseo Normal School.

The school, which initially only offered two-year courses of study, grew to offer three-year programs in 1922 and four-year programs in 1938. Bachelor's degrees, however, were not awarded for the first time until 1942, when the school additionally became the Geneseo State Teachers College. Six years later, in 1948, the college became an initial member of the State University of New York system and adopted the new name State University of New York Teachers College at Geneseo. At this time, the school also gained the right to grant master's degrees in education and, by 1951, was awarding its initial graduate degrees.

In 1962, the school adopted its current name, State University of New York College at Geneseo. Just two years later, in 1964, the school began to offer four-year bachelor's degrees in subjects other than education.[8]

Academics

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Milne Library.

Geneseo is a public liberal arts college with 48 undergraduate majors, 5 master's programs, and 25 interdisciplinary minors. The most popular majors, in descending order, are education, business, the social sciences, biology, and psychology.[9]

The student population is 5,588, with a student/faculty ratio of 19:1 and an average class size of 25. Nearly 90% of Geneseo's full-time faculty holds a Ph.D. or other terminal degree.

Geneseo is part of the New York Space Grant Consortium,[10] and is provided grants by NASA to support outer-space related research on-campus..

Administration

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Following the retirement of long-time President Christopher Dahl, Denise Battles became the college's president in July 2015.[11]

Rankings and admissions

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Academic rankings
Master's
Washington Monthly[12]1
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[13]12
Sturges Hall is Geneseo's landmark building, featuring a clocktower and carillon.

Geneseo is among 44 "Best Buy Schools" in the 2021 edition of "The Fiske Guide to Colleges." In September 2016, Princeton Review named Geneseo one of the nation's 381 best institutions for undergraduate education.[14]

Admissions

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Geneseo's acceptance rate is 65% as of 2021.[15]

Phi Beta Kappa

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Geneseo has a chapter of the oldest academic honor society in the United States, Phi Beta Kappa.[16] SUNY's four university centers already had chapters; Geneseo's establishment of a chapter is significant because it was the first (and is currently the only) of New York's thirteen state comprehensive colleges to receive the honor.[17]

The inaugural ΦΒΚ class was inducted to Geneseo's Alpha-Gamma of New York chapter in April 2004.[16]

Campus

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The Integrated Science Center opened in Fall 2006. In the foreground is the college green.
President Christopher Dahl cuts the ribbon on Geneseo's 1.7 MeV tandem Pelletron particle accelerator.

SUNY Geneseo is on the Genesee Valley's eastern side. Of Geneseo's approximately 5,000 full-time residents, some 70% work at or are in some way affiliated with the college, making Geneseo a "college town."

The campus is laid out in generally the same shape as the state of New York; almost all residence halls are named after counties in the state.

In 2003, the college began the largest capital improvement project in the history of the SUNY system. The Integrated Science Facility (pictured right) is a 105,000-square-foot (9,800 m2) building equipped with a nuclear accelerator. The Center opened in the Spring of 2007. On the new building's opening, Greene Hall (a science building constructed in 1970) was shut down and completely renovated.

The James V. Sturges building, the central clock tower of the main Sturges Quad is Geneseo's signature building.

At the far end of the South Village Residences, the college maintains the 20-acre (81,000 m2) Spencer J. Roemer Arboretum wherein are preserved "more than 70 species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers, including a magnificent group of oak trees which are more than 200 years old, and several black walnut trees estimated to be over 100 years old."[18]

Traditions and campus culture

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Geneseo's students celebrate many traditions and campus legends.

The Bronze Bear

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The Bronze Bear Fountain is on Main Street.

Just off campus, in the center of Main Street in Geneseo sits the famous Bronze Bear statue. "The Bear" also plays host to any number of spontaneous decorations and pranks throughout the academic year. A story also circulates that one of the wealthy Wadsworth daughters saw the bear fountain in a small town in Germany, fell in love with it, bought it, and sent it back to Geneseo in the early 19th century. This story is unverified, but an excerpt from a history of the family that settled the valley implies that this is not true, and that the fountain was designed and built for its current location: "[Main Street] is still dominated by a drinking fountain for horses dedicated to Mrs. Emmeline Austin Wadsworth. For some obscure reason its designer placed a short pole in its center on top of which sits a cunning little iron bear, who is generally known as 'Aunt Emmeline'".[19]

Ice hockey games

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A Geneseo Ice Knights hockey game at the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena.

In recent years, the college's ice hockey games in the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena have become major campus events.

College seal and logotype

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The Geneseo college seal was unveiled in July 1968. According to the college's office of publications, the seal is a representation of the college's location and mission: "The circular design features a flame from the torch of knowledge surrounded by leaves symbolic of the bucolic setting of SUNY Geneseo and its growth. Both are atop waves symbolizing the historic Genesee River."[20]

In 1986, the college designed a logo to "provide the College with an identity mark that was more readily identifiable than the College Seal and was not meant to replace the College Seal." Again drawing on the college's unique surroundings, "the graphic underneath the word 'Geneseo' symbolizes the rolling and rural character of the surrounding Genesee Valley." The typeface used in this logo, and in many other college publications, is Galliard.[20]

In October 2012, Geneseo unveiled a new logotype, featured in the infobox above. Bill Caren, Geneseo's Associate Vice President of Enrollment, stated the new word mark reflected "[Geneseo's] competitors' logos," which are less stylized. "If [Geneseo] wants to be perceived in the same category as its competitors," Caren added, "it would be good to have a logo that corresponds on the same level." The logotype was met with mixed responses by the student body, although its implementation throughout campus continued unhindered.[21]

Athletics

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Main article: Geneseo Knights

Geneseo fields 19 varsity sports programs (7 men's 12 women's) at the NCAA Division III level.

Student organizations

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Geneseo students can take part in various activities with several organizations, including The Lamron, an independent student newspaper published since 1922, Geneseo Student Television (GSTV), an award-winning Model United Nations team,[citation needed] a nationally competitive Federal Reserve Challenge club, WGSU, a federally-licensed radio station, five a cappella groups (Southside Boys, Exit 8, Hips & Harmony, Emmelodics, and Between the Lines), Musical Theatre Club, and Currently Known As (an improvisation group).[citation needed]

Greek life began at Geneseo in 1871, originally as literary societies. The college hosts several local Greek organizations along with national organizations, as is common in the SUNY schools. As of 2019, about 30% of students were active in either social or professional and service Greek organizations.[22]

Notable alumni and faculty

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Alumni

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Entertainment

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Academia

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Sciences

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Government, business, law, activist

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Military

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Sports

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Faculty

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References

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  1. ^ "1941-1950 – SUNY Geneseo's 150th Anniversary". State University of New York College at Geneseo. 2021-05-27. Archived from the original on 2022-12-13. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  2. ^ SUNY at Geneseo usnews.com
  3. ^ "Fast Facts - SUNY Geneseo". www.geneseo.edu. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "About Geneseo".
  5. ^ Visual style guide geneseo.edu
  6. ^ "Timeline – SUNY Geneseo's 150th Anniversary". State University of New York College at Geneseo. Archived from the original on 2022-12-13. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  7. ^ "SUNY Geneseo @ A Glance". bulletin.geneseo.edu. SUNY Geneseo. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. ^ "State University of New York at Geneseo: Fact Book" (PDF). www.geneseo.edu. SUNY Geneseo. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. ^ "State University of New York College at Geneseo". College Board. 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
  10. ^ "New York Space Grant Community College Partnership Program". Cornell University. 2014. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  11. ^ "About Denise A. Battles". SUNY Geneseo. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  12. ^ "2024 Master's Universities Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "2024-2025 Best Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Best 381 Colleges" Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  15. ^ SUNY Geneseo usnews.rankingsandreviews.com [dead link‍]
  16. ^ a b "Chapter Chronology". The Phi Beta Kappa Society. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
  17. ^ "Geneseo Faculty Granted Charter for Phi Beta Kappa Chapter at the College" (Press release). SUNY Geneseo. 2003-08-26.
  18. ^ "Roemer Arboretum". arboretum.geneseo.edu. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  19. ^ Hatch, Alden R. (1959). The Wadsworths of the Genesee. New York: Coward-McCann. pp. 205.
  20. ^ a b "Graphic Standards". SUNY Geneseo Office of Communications and Publications. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  21. ^ Rose-Gross, Joanna (2012-10-18). "New wordmark incites divisive debate". Lamron. Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  22. ^ "Quick Facts about Geneseo Greek Life". SUNY Geneseo. 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  23. ^ "They Call Me Q - 60 minutes .... 13 characters...1 woman". Tennessee State University. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  24. ^ "Marissa Mulder: In her own words SUNY Geneseo grad makes cabaret cool". 18 January 2017.
  25. ^ "CGP Grey Tweet Confirming Attendance at SUNY Geneseo". Twitter. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  26. ^ Grey, C. G. P. (2009-07-05), everything I own, retrieved 2019-03-09
  27. ^ Mather, Frank Lincoln (1915). "Amiger, William Thomas". Who's Who of the Colored Race: A General Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women of African Descent. Vol. 1. pp. 6–7.
  28. ^ Who's Who in Colored America. Who's Who in Colored America Corporation. 1927. p. 4 – via Google Books.
  29. ^ "Brian L. DeMarco". Faculty profiles. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Physics. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  30. ^ "Myhang V. Huynh". scientist profiles. MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved 2007-10-02. [permanent dead link‍]
  31. ^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-allen-836a2b130/ [bare URL]
  32. ^ "Jeff Clarke '83 Named Kodak CEO | SUNY Geneseo". www.geneseo.edu. 2014-03-14. Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-04-11.
  33. ^ "Kodak names Clarke new CEO". USA Today. 2014-03-12. Retrieved 2015-04-11.
  34. ^ "David Klein, Constellation Brands". CNBC. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  35. ^ "Joseph D Morelle - Biography". New York State Assembly. Archived from the original on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  36. ^ "East Wing Shakeup as First Lady Gets New Chief of Staff". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012.
  37. ^ Men and Women of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries. New York, NY: L. R. Hamersly & Company. 1910. p. 316 – via Google Books.
  38. ^ "David Maslanka Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). 2014-09-12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-12-02. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  39. ^ "News Center – SUNY Geneseo". www.geneseo.edu. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
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