State University of New York at Geneseo

The State University of New York at Geneseo—also known as SUNY Geneseo, the State University of New York College at Geneseo, or, colloquially, Geneseo State University—is located in Geneseo, Livingston County, New York. It is a constituent college of the State University of New York. The school began as the Wadsworth Normal and Training School, a "teacher's college" in 1871 and became a state liberal arts college in 1948.

Academics

This highly selective school is classified as a four-year public liberal arts college. The school is SUNY's "honors college," and in 2004 it became the first SUNY undergraduate institution to receive a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Geneseo has 48 undergraduate majors, six graduate programs, and 25 interdisciplinary minors. Of these, Business Administration, Biology, Communications, Education, Political Science and Psychology are the most popular majors. The student population is approximately 5,000 with a student/faculty ratio of 17:1 and the average class size is 25. Nearly 90% of Geneseo's full time faculty holds a PhD or other terminal degree.

SUNY Geneseo believes that a "study abroad" experience is an essential element of a quality liberal arts degree. 25% of Geneseo's students participate in Study Abroad programs either through the College or the SUNY system (21% above the national average.)

The current President of the University is Christopher Dahl.

Academic Achievements

In November 2005, students from Geneseo's Jones School of Business placed second in the national Federal Reserve Bank College Fed Challenge held at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington D.C.. The team won individual and institutional cash prizes. Though they placed second to Northwestern University, they defeated teams from Harvard University, Cornell University, Rutgers University, and a dozen others to advance to the national competition.

Notable Faculty

• David Meisel - Physics, Astronomy, SUNY Distinguished Professor
• Walter Harding (Emeritus), died 1996 - English, Preeminent Henry David Thoreau scholar
• Ronald Herzman - English, Medieval studies
• William Cook - History, Medieval studies
• Jeffery Over - Geology, Devonian Paleontology
• Eugene Stelzig - Romantic Autobiography, Shakespeare

The campus

SUNY Geneseo is located on the east side of the Genesee Valley which gives the campus spectacular views and often remarkable sunsets. Letchworth State Park, sometimes known as the "Grand Canyon of the East" is located just five miles west of campus. The rural area and rolling countryside provide a serene, safe setting for a college community. Of the approximately 5,000 full time residents in Genenseo, some 70% work at, or are in some way affiliated with the College, making Geneseo truly a "college town."

The student body has a 3:2 female/male ratio, though for the first time in the College's history, the incoming class of 2005 had an even ratio. More than half the Town Fire Department and Emergency Squad are Geneseo students, further embodying the link between campus and community. Geneseo has the 3rd largest college run Big Brothers/Big Sisters program in the nation.

The Campus is divided between the Academic Quad, the "North Village" and "South Village," with all academic buildings contained within the Academic Quad. The "South Village" has five residence halls and a dining hall. The "South Village" complex was designed by architect Edgar Tafel, one-time apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. Tafel also designed the Brodie Building, home of the School of the Arts on the Academic Quad. Additionally, 45 on campus townhouses, known as Saratoga Terrace, provide a connective corridor between the "South Village" and the Academic Quad. The "North Village" contains 10 residence halls, two dining halls and the Lauderdale Health Center. The Academic Quad comprised of the Upper and Lower Campuses contains all academic buildings, the College Union, Merritt Athletic Center, Wadsworth Auditorium and the Milne Library that provides amazing views of the Genesee valley.

Greene Hall, the current science facility (soon to be integrated with the new Center for Excellence in Science, due for completion in Spring of 2006) is equipped with a nuclear accelerator. The new science building, the Center for Excellence in Science, is a $50 million dollar state of the art facility (the largest single capital improvement project in the SUNY system) that will combine all science departments.

One of the main attractions of SUNY Geneseo's campus beside the breathtaking views of the valley is the stunning architecture of many of the older buildings. The James B. Welles [pictured here [1] building was constructed in 1932 and is the oldest building on campus with beautiful arches and gables and broad-leaf collegiate ivy draping its stone and brick facade. Formerly known as the Winfield Holcomb School, it served as the laboratory school for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. It now houses the departments of Philosophy, Political Science, Foreign Language, and English. The James V. Sturges building [pictured here [2], the central clock tower of the main Sturges Quad is Geneseo's signature building and contains the Alumni Carillon which chimes on the hour and plays songs at various times during the day. Constructed in 1938 it formerly served as the administration building and now contains the offices of the History, Psychology, Anthropology, Speech Pathology, and Sociology departments. Sturges also holds classrooms and laboratories as well as the Geneseo Speech and Hearing Clinic. Wadsworth Auditorium, [pictured here [3] is also one of the oldest buildings on campus.

East of the Academic Quad up a slight hill is Geneseo's Main street that compliments the quaint campus with a variety of shops, restaurants and bars that some of the students frequent throughout the week. Beyond Main Street is the quiet village of Geneseo marked by English architecture, well kept mansions, fraternity and sorority houses and an old church.

Distinguishing features

Geneseo has joined 270 colleges and universities in the nation with chapters of the oldest academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa.

In recent years Geneseo was ranked second among public colleges in the North by US News and World Report.

In 2006 Kiplinger's listed the college as the number one "Best Value Public College" in the nation for out-of-state students, and number seven in the nation for in-state residents.

Geneseo is widely considered the Honors College of the State University of New York, and is working toward officially gaining that distinction from New York State and SUNY. Because of its selectivity, traditional New England college atmosphere, and liberal arts mission Geneseo is known colloquially as one of the public ivies.

Geneseo's catering services division owns and operates the historic Big Tree Inn on Main St. Today it is an upscale restaurant, pub, and bed and breakfast. Mark Twain is amongst the famous 19th century patrons of the Inn, using it as a stop between his homes in Buffalo, NY and Elmira, NY.

The College's permanent art collection includes an original chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Imperial Hotel in Japan, one of Wright's most famous projects.

Traditions

Geneseo's students celebrate many longstanding traditions and campus legends.

Just off campus, in the center of Main Street in Geneseo, NY sits the famous Bronze Bear statue [pictured here [4]. School legend has it that if a virgin ever graduates from Geneseo, the bear will come down off of the fountain and run away. "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 too Geneseo in the early 19th century.

In the Sturges quad, students from different greek organizations, sports teams, and clubs sneek about late at night to paint advertisements, boasts, and shout-outs onto the "painted tree" or "greek tree" [pictured here [5]. There are so many layers of paint on the tree that the original contours of the bark and trunk are obscured. Despite the years of paint, the tree continues to grow and produce leaves. The exact date when this practice began is unknown, but alumni report that it began sporadically during the 1950's and became regular practice in the mid to late 1960's.

Also in the Sturges quad is the famous "Seuss Spruce," [pictured here [6] so called because it looks like a Dr. Seuss illustration.

Sunsets on campus are also legendary, so much so that students and alumni say the sunset at Geneseo was once ranked by National Geographic Magazine as one of the top ten in the world. This claim has been verified as false, but lives on in campus lore.

In recent years, Men's Ice Hockey games in the Ira S. Wilson arena have become major campus events drawing sell-out crowds of students and community members. A pep band has been formed and student groups often offer promotions, such as handing out noise makers to the capacity crowds.

Athletics

Geneseo's athletic program is part of the NCAA Division III. They are a member of the SUNYAC conference.

Geneseo has 15 varsity sports programs including:

Basketball (Men's and Women's), Cross Country (M, W), Equestrian (W), Field Hockey (W), Ice Hockey (M), Lacrosse (M, W), Soccer (M, W), Softball (W), Swimming (M, W), Tennis (W), Track (M, W), Volleyball (W).

Geneseo also has club teams in Rowing (M, W), Rugby (M, W), Baseball (M), and Volleyball (M). There are also many intramural sport offerings, including a college classic: broomball

Athletic Achievements

In 2005, the Geneseo Women's Cross Country team won the NCAA Division III Championship. It was the school's first NCAA championship.

In the 2004-2005 season, the Geneseo Men's Ice Hockey team (Ice Knights) won the SUNYAC conference championship advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament, but losing in the first round of play. In 2005-2006 they repeated their success, claiming the SUNYAC Championship again. First year coach Jason Lammers was the first former SUNYAC player to lead the team he played for to a championship as head coach.

In 2002, the Women's Varsity 4+ (of the Women's Rowing Team) won the gold medal in their event at the 1st Annual SUNY Regatta.

External links

• SUNY Geneseo
• Geneseo Athletics
• / Big Tree Inn