State University of New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
State University of New York

Motto	To learn, to search, to serve
Type	Public university system
Established	1948; 77 years ago (1948)
Endowment	$4.84 billion (2022)
Budget	$13.37 billion (2022)
Chairman	Merryl Tisch
Chancellor	John King Jr.
Vice-Chancellor	Robert Megna
Provost	Tod Laursen
Academic staff	32,496
Students	363,612 (Fall 2022)
Undergraduates	319,011 (Fall 2022)
Postgraduates	44,601 (Fall 2022)
Location	New York , United States
Campus	64 campuses
Colors	Blue and Gray

The State University of New York (SUNY, /ˈsuːni/, SOO-nee) is a large group of public colleges and universities in New York State. It is one of the biggest university systems in the United States. SUNY has 91,182 employees, including 32,496 teachers. It offers about 7,660 different degree and certificate programs. The system's budget is $13.37 billion.

The main universities in the SUNY system are SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island and the SUNY Buffalo in western New York. SUNY's main offices are in Albany, the state's capital. They also have smaller offices in Manhattan and Washington, D.C..

The largest SUNY campus is the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. It covers 25,000 acres of land. Next to it is the State University of New York Upstate Medical University. This university is the biggest employer in the SUNY system, with over 10,959 staff members.

The State University of New York was created in 1948. Governor Thomas E. Dewey helped make it happen. He followed ideas from a special group that studied the need for a state university. This group was led by Owen D. Young, who was the head of General Electric at the time. The SUNY system grew a lot when Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller was in charge. He was very interested in designing and building new SUNY schools across the state.

SUNY includes all public colleges and universities in New York State, except for the City University of New York (CUNY) system.

A Look Back: SUNY's History

Stony Brook University on Long Island

The State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse

The University at Buffalo in Buffalo; it also has a campus in Amherst

Binghamton University has campuses in Binghamton, Johnson City, and Vestal

University at Albany

The College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse

New York was one of the last states to create a public college system. The first colleges were private. Some started from local religious schools. New York State had supported higher education for a long time before SUNY began. The oldest college in the SUNY system is SUNY Potsdam, which started in 1816. It was first known as the St. Lawrence Academy.

In 1835, the state decided to improve teacher training. They chose one school in each area to get money for a special teacher-training program. St. Lawrence Academy was one of these. Later, in 1867, Potsdam became the site of a "Normal School," which was a school for training teachers.

On May 7, 1844, the New York General Assembly voted to create a Normal School in Albany. This was the first college just for teacher education. In 1865, Cornell University, a private school, became New York's "land grant college." This meant it received land and money from the government to teach practical subjects like farming and engineering. By 1894, the state was directly helping to pay for four of Cornell's colleges.

From 1889 to 1903, Cornell ran the New York State College of Forestry. But then the governor stopped its funding. So, the school moved to Syracuse University in 1911. Today, it is the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. In 1908, the state also started the New York State College of Agriculture at Alfred University.

Between 1946 and 1948, a special group studied New York's colleges. They found that private colleges in New York often did not accept all students. This meant many New Yorkers could not go to college. Because of this, the group suggested creating a public state university system. In 1948, a law was passed to create SUNY. It was built on the teacher-training schools that already existed. Many of these schools had already started teaching other subjects, not just teacher training.

In 1953, SUNY made a big decision. It banned all national fraternities and sororities from its 33 campuses. This ban lasted until 1977. The goal was to fight against unfair treatment based on race or religion.

In 1986, L. Eudora Pettigrew became the first African-American college president in the SUNY system. She was named president of SUNY Old Westbury.

Even though New York was one of the last states to start a state university, the system grew quickly. This happened during the time of Chancellor Samuel B. Gould and Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. Governor Rockefeller was very involved in planning and building new SUNY schools. He also helped bring the private University of Buffalo into the SUNY system. It then became the public State University of New York at Buffalo.

How SUNY is Organized

SUNY is managed by a Board of Trustees. This board has eighteen members. Fifteen members are chosen by the Governor and approved by the New York State Senate. One member is the president of The State University of New York Student Assembly. The last two members are the presidents of the University Faculty Senate and the Faculty Council of Community Colleges. These two members do not vote. The Board of Trustees chooses the chancellor, who is the main leader of SUNY.

New York State helps pay for the SUNY system. This makes college education more affordable for people living in the state. Students from other states and 171 different countries also attend SUNY schools. They pay higher tuition, but their education is still partly paid for by New York State taxpayers.

There are many different types of colleges in the SUNY system. SUNY groups its campuses into four main types:

• University Centers/Doctoral-Granting Institutions: These are large universities that offer many advanced degrees.
• Comprehensive Colleges: These offer a wide range of bachelor's and master's degrees.
• Technology Colleges: These focus on hands-on training and technical skills.
• Community Colleges: These offer two-year programs and help students prepare for four-year colleges or jobs.

SUNY also includes "statutory colleges." These are state-funded colleges located within other universities, like Cornell University and Alfred University. New York residents who attend these colleges get lower tuition rates. They also get to enjoy all the activities and facilities of the host university.

It's important to know that SUNY and the City University of New York (CUNY) are two different university systems. Both get money from New York State. Also, SUNY is not the same as the University of the State of New York (USNY). USNY is a larger government group that oversees most education in New York State, including public and private schools.

Leaders of SUNY

SUNY System Administration Building "The SUNY Castle" in Albany

Students Have a Voice

Purchase College in Purchase

Students have a say in how SUNY is run. The SUNY Board of Trustees includes a student member who can vote. This student trustee is also the President of the Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNYSA). SUNYSA is the official student government for the entire SUNY system.

In the 1970s, students worked hard to get voting rights on the boards that govern SUNY colleges. In 1979, students finally gained full voting rights. This means students at all SUNY schools now have representatives who can vote on important decisions.

SUNY Libraries

The SUNY Libraries Consortium (SLC) is a group that helps and supports all the libraries within the SUNY system.

SUNY Campuses

The College of Optometry in New York City

Buffalo State University

SUNY Oswego

Stony Brook University

Most SUNY colleges are in New York State. However, there are two exceptions:

• Jamestown Community College has a center in Pennsylvania. It operates under a special agreement.
• SUNY Korea opened in 2012 in Incheon, South Korea. It offers programs from Stony Brook University and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

SUNY's only law school is the University at Buffalo School of Law.

Schools Offering Doctoral Degrees

These institutions offer the highest level of degrees, like PhDs.

University Centers

Specialized Doctoral Schools

• Upstate Medical University
• Downstate Health Sciences University
• College of Environmental Science and Forestry
• College of Optometry
• Polytechnic Institute
• One college at Alfred University:
  • New York State College of Ceramics
• Four colleges at Cornell University:
  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
  • College of Human Ecology
  • College of Veterinary Medicine
  • School of Industrial and Labor Relations

University Colleges

Technology Colleges

Community Colleges

Medical Centers and Hospitals

Stony Brook University Hospital

Upstate University Hospital

University Hospital of Brooklyn

The State University of New York runs three major medical centers. These centers combine a medical school with a university hospital. They are:

• Upstate University Hospital and Norton College of Medicine in Syracuse
• Stony Brook University Hospital and Renaissance School of Medicine in Stony Brook
• Downstate Medical Center and Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn

There is also a fourth medical school, the Jacobs School of Medicine in Buffalo. It works with several hospitals in the Buffalo area. The College of Optometry in New York City also has its own eye clinic.

Each medical center is the main place for teaching students at that campus's medical school. SUNY medical programs are highly rated. The hospitals connected to these schools are also well-known. In 2022, the three medical centers earned $3.86 billion from patient care. This was 29% of SUNY's total income.

SUNY medical centers help many people get healthcare, especially those who might not have good insurance. In 2020, applications to SUNY medical schools went up by 20.4%. Schools received over 24,118 applications for only 685 spots.

Because more students are interested in medicine, SUNY started a program to help students get into medical schools. This program helps students get academic advice and covers costs for summer programs.

SUNY's medical, health, and nursing schools train many health professionals each year. They graduate more than 11,000 health workers annually. This includes one out of every three physicians and nearly one out of every three nurses in New York State.

SUNY Facts and Figures

University Centers

Stony Brook's West Campus

University at Buffalo's Kapoor Hall

The University at Buffalo is the largest public university in New York by student numbers. It was founded by U.S. President Millard Fillmore. Buffalo has about 32,000 students and gets the most applications of all SUNY schools.

College Costs

University at Albany's Weather Center

For the 2017–2018 school year, tuition at SUNY schools was much lower than at most other public colleges in the United States. For example, tuition at the University at Buffalo was $9,828 per semester for New York residents. For students from other states, it was $27,068 per year. This was less than similar schools in other states.

New York State also offers free tuition for public colleges and universities. This is for families who live in the state and earn less than $125,000 per year. To get free tuition, students must also study full-time. They also need to stay in New York for a certain number of years after graduating.

For the 2019–2020 school year, medical school tuition at the Norton College of Medicine was $43,670 for in-state students. For out-of-state students, it was $65,160. These costs are less than the average for medical schools across the United States.

Research Funding

Sports at SUNY Schools

Each school in the SUNY system has its own sports programs. The level of competition is different at each school.

NCAA and NJCAA Sports

Division I

• The four main university centers compete in Division I for all their sports. This is the highest level of college sports.
• Buffalo has a football team in Division I FBS. Albany and Stony Brook have football teams in Division I FCS.
• The four Cornell colleges that are part of SUNY compete as part of Cornell University. Cornell is in the Ivy League, which is an FCS conference.

Divisions II and III

• Most other SUNY colleges, technical schools, and community colleges compete at the NCAA Division III level.
• The State University of New York Athletic Conference is made up entirely of SUNY colleges.

Other Sports Groups

• SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry is part of the USCAA.
• A few community colleges compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

School Rivalries

There are some fun rivalries between SUNY schools:

• The biggest rivalry within SUNY is between the Albany Great Danes and Binghamton Bearcats. They are both in the America East Conference. People call it the I-88 Rivalry because the schools are at opposite ends of Interstate 88.
• Albany and Stony Brook also have a football rivalry called the Battle for the Golden Apple.
• The University at Buffalo has basketball rivalries with two private colleges nearby: Canisius College and Niagara University.
• SUNY Oswego and SUNY Plattsburgh have a big rivalry in Division III Hockey.
• SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Delhi have rivalries in basketball and cross country.
• SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cortland have a rivalry in almost every sport. They both use the red dragon as their team nickname. Their games are called the "Battle of the Red Dragons."
• There's a unique rivalry between SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Finger Lakes Community College. Both schools have top teams in "woodsman" competitions, which involve traditional forestry skills.

SUNY Chancellor's Awards

The SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence are special honors given to recognize great achievements. They encourage students and staff to keep doing excellent work.

The Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence is the highest award a student can receive from the University. There are also awards for faculty and staff, like the Chancellor's Award for Excellence and Distinguished Faculty ranks.

See also

In Spanish: Universidad Estatal de Nueva York para niños

• SUNY Press
• Education in New York (state)
• List of colleges and universities in New York (state)
• List of largest United States colleges by enrollment
• List of largest universities by enrollment