SUNY at Sixty: The Promise of the State University of New York

The comprehensive history of the State University of New York system. This is a fascinating history of the State University of New York, America's largest comprehensive university system. As such, it incorporates community colleges, colleges of technology, university colleges, research universities, medical schools, health science centers, and includes specialized campuses in fields as diverse as optometry, ceramics, horticulture, fashion, forestry, and maritime training. Originating in a conference held in spring 2009 to mark SUNY's 60th anniversary, the book covers the system's origins, political landscape, varied missions, the different types of institutions, international partnerships, leadership, future directions, and more. Other state systems have been studied more closely and in depth (California, Michigan, Texas), and this book is a long overdue effort to bring New York into that conversation. Edited by a past interim chancellor of the system, and two SUNY history professors, and with a foreword by current chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher, this book is essential for anyone who has a stake in public higher education in New York state, or indeed, public higher education anywhere.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Foreword Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher Introduction: Taking Stock of New York’s State University after Six Decades I. A Guided Tour through SUNY’s First SixDecades II. Twenty-Seven Ways to Understand SUNY 1. The Empire State Creates a University Introduction Sanford H. Levine I. Shared Goals, Different Politics, and Differing Outcomes: The Truman Commission and the Dewey Commission Philo Hutcheson II. Forging SUNY in New York’s Political Cauldron Tod Ottman III. The Temporary Commission Surveys Bias in Admissions Harold S. Wechsler 2. The Building Blocks of SUNY Introduction Douglas R. Skopp I. SUNY Oswego: From Recovery and Refugees to Re-Invention and Revival Tim Nekritz II. Rescuing the State Teachers College from History’s Scrapheap Kenneth P. O’Brien & W. Bruce Leslie III. "A Touch of New England in Western New York": The Transformation of SUNY Geneseo Wayne Mahood IV. From Schools of Agriculture to Colleges of Technology: A Century of Evolution Joseph Petrick 3. Varied Missions in America’s Largest "Comprehensive University" Introduction Christopher C. Dahl I. The College of Environmental Science and Forestry and SUNY: A Unique Relationship Hugh O. Canham II. SUNY Maritime College: A History Maryellen Keefe III. Why a University Press Should Be and Must Be Relevant Gary Dunham 4. Community Colleges: Emergence of an Educational Giant Introduction Dennis Golladay I. A Retrospective View of the Westchester Community College Experience Marjorie Glusker II. The Pioneers Speak: Voices from the Early Years of the SUNY Community Colleges Benjamin J. Weaver 5. SUNY Strides onto the National Research Stage Introduction John W. Kalas I. Presidential Leadership, Change, and Community: SUNY-Buffalo from 1966 to 1981 Patricia A. Maloney II. Documenting Research at SUNY University Centers: A Comparative Approach Nancy Diamond III. Better Late Than Never: Intentions, Timing, and Results in Creating SUNY Research Universities Roger L. Geiger 6. The Best Laid Plans Introduction John Aubrey Douglass I. James Bryant Conant and the Limits of Educational Planning in California and New York Wayne J. Urban II. Three Historical Moments: Contested Visions of the State University of New York Henry Steck III. An Assessment of the Recommendations of the NYS Commission on Higher Education John B. Clark 7. "Diversity"—Demography, Culture, and Education for a Changing New York Introduction Pedro N. Cabán I. Changing Demographics and Representational Dilemmas: Latinos at SUNY and CUNY Meeting the Diversity Challenge José E. Cruz II. Creating Educational Equity: A Brief Look at the History and Development of the SUNY EOCs and EOP Carlos N. Medina & Jeffrey Scott 8. SUNY in and of the World Introduction James Ketterer I. SUNY’s Strategic Role in International Higher Education Karla Back II. SUNY from an English Perspective John Halsey 9. The View from the SUNY Tower: Two Chancellors Look Back I. Historical Vignettes of SUNY: A Personal Sampling Clifton R. Wharton Jr. II. The State University of New York: Memories and Perspectives D. Bruce Johnstone 10. Telling SUNY’s Tale: Historians Look Back and Forward Introduction Chris Ward I. The State of Archives on SUNY Campuses: The Good, the Bad, and the Unaccounted Geoffrey Williams II. Pride and Identity: The College Histories of the SUNY Campuses Joel T. Rosenthal III. The Strange Career of SUNY’s History W. Bruce Leslie Conclusion: Some Concluding Thoughts about SUNY and the Promise of Public Higher Education in New York Appendices Appendix 1: Presidents and Chancellors of the State University of New York Appendix 2: Governors of New York State in the State University of New York Era Appendix 3: SUNY Campus List by Alphabetical Order / Institutional Sector Bibliographies The History of SUNY & of Higher Education in New York State SUNY Campus Histories Histories of State Systems of Higher Education (except SUNY) List of Contributors Index