State University of New York at New Paltz

File:Old Main at SUNY New Paltz.JPG

The university's origins can be traced back to the New Paltz Classical School, which originally opened in 1828. After changing its name to the New Paltz Academy in 1833, the school was decimated by a fire in 1884, after which the school offered their land to the state government of New York contingent upon the establishment of a normal school.

In 1885, one year after the fire, the New Paltz Normal and Training School, or New Paltz Normal School, was established to prepare teachers to practice their professions in the public schools of New York. It was granted the ability to award baccalaureate degrees in 1938, after which it was renamed as the State Teachers College at New Paltz; the inaugural class of 112 students graduated in 1942. In 1947, a graduate program in education was established.

When the State University of New York was established by legislative act in 1948, the Teachers College at New Paltz was one of 30 colleges associated under SUNY's umbrella. An art education program was added in 1951. The school experienced another name change in 1959, becoming the State University College of Education at New Paltz. One year later, in 1960, the college was authorized to confer liberal arts degrees. Just one year after that, in 1961, the school updated its name yet again, to the State University of New York College of Arts and Science at New Paltz.

File:Van den Berg Hall - SUNY New Paltz.JPG

Amid this tumult, the college's general education program (including then-vanguard introductory surveys of African and Asian cultures) was eliminated in 1971; a distribution requirement was re-instituted in 1993. A program in African American studies was established in 1968. Three years later, the experimental studies program (reorganized as the innovative studies program in 1975) began to enroll students, instructors, and local residents in credited and cocurricular courses that encompassed myriad disciplines, including video art (under Paul Ryan), dance therapy, clowning, camping, and ecodesign. Instructors in the program were hired by students and compensated through student activity fees. A {{convert|4|acre|adj=on}} environmental studies site operated by students and community members under the aegis of the program at the southern periphery of the campus included geodesic domes, windmills, kilns, a solar-powered house funded by the Department of Energy, and more inchoate variants of sustainable architecture. Upon ascending to the college presidency in 1980, Alice Chandler characterized the edifices as "shacks and hovels" and abolished the program in the early 1980s, demolishing most of the site in the process.{{cite web |author=Jeremiah Horrigan |url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050912/NEWS/309129993&cid=sitesearch&template=printart |title=Home of the future's time is past |publisher=recordonline.com |date=2005-09-12 |access-date=2013-08-09 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129143623/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050912/NEWS/309129993&cid=sitesearch&template=printart |url-status=live }}

Under Chandler's leadership, the college began to offer professional degree programs in nursing, engineering, journalism, and accounting.{{cite web |url=http://library.newpaltz.edu/banner/archives/timeline.html |title=STL:CHC - SUNY New Paltz Timeline |publisher=Library.newpaltz.edu |access-date=2013-08-09 |archive-date=June 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616060253/http://library.newpaltz.edu/banner/archives/timeline.html |url-status=live }} The Legislative Gazette, a journalism and political science internship in which students live and work in Albany and produce a weekly newspaper about state politics, was established in 1978.

File:The Pond - SUNY New Paltz.JPG

On December 29, 1991, the campus was the scene of a widely reported PCB incident that contaminated four dormitories (Bliss, Gage, Capen and Scudder halls), as well as the Coykendall Science Building and Parker Theatre. Under the direction of the county and state health departments, the university began a massive, thorough cleanup effort. As an additional precaution, 29 other buildings were thoroughly tested and, if necessary, cleaned. The clean-up process lasted until May 1995. Since 1994, PCBs have not been used on the SUNY New Paltz campus.{{cite web |url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/healthcenter/pcbupdate.html |title=Scientists Say SUNY Dorms Pose No Health Dangers, Date: August 2010 |publisher=SUNY New Paltz |date=1991-12-29 |access-date=2013-08-09 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716120215/http://www.newpaltz.edu/healthcenter/pcbupdate.html |url-status=live }}

The college was rebranded as the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1994.{{cite web | url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/ugc/aboutnp.html | title=About New Paltz | access-date=November 12, 2007 | archive-date=October 26, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026034416/http://www.newpaltz.edu/ugc/aboutnp.html | url-status=live }}

In November 1997, two events on campus attracted nationwide media attention. The first, a feminist conference on sex and sexuality sponsored by the women's studies department entitled "Revolting Behavior: The Challenges of Women's Sexual Freedom", featured an instructional workshop on sex toys offered by a Manhattan sex shop proprietor and a lecture panel on sadomasochism ("Safe, Sane and Consensual S/M: An Alternate Way of Loving").{{Cite web |date=1997-11-07 |title=GOV RIPS SUNY ON SEX DEMO |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1997/11/07/gov-rips-suny-on-sex-demo/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}} The second, a seminar entitled "Subject to Desire: Refiguring the Body", was sponsored by the School of Fine and Performing Arts. One presenter, Fluxus performance artist and longtime New Paltz resident Carolee Schneemann, was best known for Interior Scroll (1975), a piece that culminated in her unrolling a scroll from her vagina and reading it to the audience; at the seminar, Schneemann exhibited{{Cite web |date=1997-11-08 |title=ART FEST FOCUSES ON BODY |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1997/11/08/art-fest-focuses-on-body/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}} abstract photographs of her vagina as part of Vulva's Morphia (1995), "a visceral sequence of photographs and text in which a Vulvic personification presents an ironic analysis juxtaposing slides and text to undermine Lacanian semiotics, gender issues, Marxism, the male art establishment, religious and cultural taboos."{{cite web |url=http://www.caroleeschneemann.com/vulvasmorphia.html |title=Vulva's Morphia, 1995 |publisher=Carolee Schneemann |access-date=2013-08-09 |archive-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130150806/http://www.caroleeschneemann.com/vulvasmorphia.html |url-status=live }}

File:Academic Spine - SUNY New Paltz.JPG

Political conservatives were outraged that a public university had hosted such events, and Governor George Pataki and SUNY chancellor Robert King expressed their displeasure. The controversy escalated when the theatre arts department staged The Vagina Monologues shortly afterwards. The college's then-president, Roger Bowen, defended freedom of expression on campus and refused to apologize, doing little to allay conservative ire. "The real issue," he said, "is whether some ideologues, however well-intentioned, have the right to dictate what we say and what we do on this campus." SUNY trustee Candace de Russy called for him to be dismissed.{{citation |url=http://www.chronogram.com/issue/1999/11/room+SUNY.htm |title=Chill Factor at SUNY New Paltz |first=Lorna |last=Tychostup |publisher=Chronogram}} {{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic|fix-attempted=yes}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Bowen later resigned.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/29/nyregion/embattled-college-president-is-leaving-suny-new-paltz.html|title=Embattled College President Is Leaving SUNY New Paltz|first=Karen W.|last=Arenson|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 29, 2001|access-date=September 22, 2018|archive-date=September 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923052211/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/29/nyregion/embattled-college-president-is-leaving-suny-new-paltz.html|url-status=live}}

In 2023, the institution was officially reclassified as a university by the State University of New York. The change took effect January 1, 2023, exactly seventy-five years after the SUNY system was founded; New Paltz was a founding member.{{Cite web |date=January 1, 2023 |title=SUNY New Paltz attains University status |url=https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2023/01/03/suny-new-paltz-attains-university-status/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103163009/https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2023/01/03/suny-new-paltz-attains-university-status/ |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |access-date=January 1, 2023 |website=Hudson Valley One |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=January 3, 2023 |title=SUNY New Paltz officially earns university status |url=https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2023/01/03/suny-new-paltz-officially-earns-university-status/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103170750/https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2023/01/03/suny-new-paltz-officially-earns-university-status/ |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=Daily Freeman |language=en-US}}

File:The Atrium - SUNY New Paltz.JPG

File:Inside the Atrium at SUNY New Paltz.JPG

The SUNY New Paltz campus consists of about {{convert|216|acre|}} in the small town of New Paltz, New York. There are 14 residence halls, centered mostly in two quads. The main campus has two dozen academic buildings, including the Haggerty Administration Building, a lecture hall, Old Main, Sojourner Truth Library, one main dining hall, the Student Union Building, Science Hall and extensive gymnasium and sports areas.

The college also operated the Ashokan campus in Olivebridge, New York, consisting of another {{convert|400|acre}}. In 2008 it was sold by Campus Auxiliary Services to the Open Space Conservancy;{{citation |url=http://www.osiny.org/site/PageServer?pagename=PressRelease_05_12_2008 |title=OSI, SUNY and NYCDEP Sign an Agreement Ensuring the Future of Ashokan Field Campus |date=May 13, 2008 |publisher=Open Space Institute |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=December 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229114045/http://www.osiny.org/site/PageServer?pagename=PressRelease_05_12_2008 |url-status=live }} it is now operated as the Ashokan Center.

SUNY New Paltz has undergone extensive construction projects since 2008, totaling nearly $300 million,{{citation |url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/president/stateofthecollege09.html |title=State of the College 2009 |date=September 25, 2009 |last=Poskanzer |first=Steven |publisher=SUNY New Paltz |access-date=September 26, 2009 |archive-date=October 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007141326/http://www.newpaltz.edu/president/stateofthecollege09.html |url-status=live }} including:

• Renovation of Hasbrouck complex residence halls (ongoing)
• Student Union Building addition: "The Atrium" (completed fall 2010)
• Old Main renovation (completed spring 2011)
• The Concourse landscaping/renovation (completed fall 2011)
• Hasbrouck Quad landscaping/renovation (completed fall 2011)
• Construction of Mohonk Walk (completed summer 2012)
• Ridgeview Hall (completed summer 2015)
• Sojourner Truth Library renovation (completed fall 2015)
• Wooster Science Building renovation (completed summer 2016)
• Construction of Science Hall, a new science building (completed winter 2017){{Cite news|url=http://www.recordonline.com/news/20170309/suny-new-paltz-marks-opening-of-science-building|title=SUNY New Paltz marks opening of science building|last=Liu|first=Pauline|work=recordonline.com|access-date=2017-03-10|language=en|archive-date=March 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310030711/http://www.recordonline.com/news/20170309/suny-new-paltz-marks-opening-of-science-building|url-status=live}}
• Engineering Innovation Hub (completed fall 2019)

SUNY at New Paltz contains three on-campus theaters.

McKenna Theatre is a fully equipped proscenium theatre, with seating for 366. The theater is named in honor of Dr. Rebecca McKenna, professor of English and drama and the founder of the theatre arts program at New Paltz. At the rear of the theater is a sound booth for digital audio equipment which has the capabilities to play back, mix, and amplify audio. There is also a lighting booth with a computerized light board (controlling over 200 dimmers) and LCD video projection equipment behind the audience (and upstairs). There are 32 line sets in the fly space above the stage. There is also a scene shop behind the stage, storage area for scenery, a paint shop, and other technical facilities.{{cite web |title=Suny New Paltz Facilities |url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/fpa/facilities.html |access-date=May 18, 2010 |archive-date=May 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527093446/http://www.newpaltz.edu/fpa/facilities.html |url-status=live }}

File:College Hall at SUNY New Paltz.JPG

The building was originally built as a dining hall. Parker was then converted to a theatre venue and teaching space. In 1972 it was made into a theatre production facility. The building was renovated in 1994, featuring a modified thrust stage surrounded by a three-quarter audience configuration seating up to 200 people. In the rear are lighting and sound booths with computerized light board (controlling over 90 dimmers) and digital audio equipment. To both sides of the stage are performance studio spaces. Classes are offered in acting, voice, movement, and musical theatre. On the same floor of the theater are a costume studio, dressing rooms, costume maintenance, storage facilities, and faculty offices.

Parker Theatre was built in 1962. It houses the Raymond T. Kurdt Theatrical Design Collection, one of the most significant

collections of original costume and set designs in the nation.

Max and Nadia Shepard Recital Hall is located in College Hall, the oldest residence hall on campus. Built in 1951, it is a landmark, and is the closest hall to the village of New Paltz.{{cite web|title=Residence Life: Shango/College Hall|url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/reslife/shangocollege/|access-date=May 19, 2010|archive-date=May 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528102950/http://www.newpaltz.edu/reslife/shangocollege/|url-status=live}} Its basement, now used primarily for storage, was built as a fallout shelter, and was stocked as such until the 1980s. The only remaining remnant are the "fallout toilets".{{Cite web |date=2012-04-05 |title=SUNY New Paltz Fallout Shelter, Revisited |url=https://thelittlerebellion.com/index.php/2012/04/suny-new-paltz-fallout-shelter-revisited/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=The Little Rebellion |language=en-US |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030191201/https://thelittlerebellion.com/index.php/2012/04/suny-new-paltz-fallout-shelter-revisited/ |url-status=live }}

The facility contains 125 seats and is named in honor of patrons of the performing arts programs at SUNY New Paltz. The hall offers a delicate setting for student recitals and chamber music performances. The rear of the hall contains a small studio equipped with Pro-tools HD and a Control 24 sound board used for recording professional performances.

Max and Nadia Shepard Recital Hall is an important facility for the community. It hosts many recitals and is an integral part of the Piano Summer program.{{cite news |title=Arts Listings:Music and Dance |newspaper=Times Herald Record |date=November 26, 2010 |url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061126/LIFE/611260325/-1/ENTERTAIN |access-date=May 19, 2010 |archive-date=June 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616192549/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061126/LIFE/611260325/-1/ENTERTAIN |url-status=live }}

At the center of campus is the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, which opened in 2001. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space in six galleries, the Dorsky is one of the largest art museums in the SUNY system.{{cite web|title=Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art|url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum/|publisher=State University of New York at New Paltz|access-date=27 April 2014|archive-date=March 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328051153/http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum/|url-status=live}} The East Wing includes the Morgan Anderson Gallery, Howard Greenberg Family Gallery, Sara Bedrick Gallery, and the Corridor Gallery, and the West Wing includes the Alice and Horace Chandler Gallery and the North Gallery. The Dorsky's permanent collection comprises more than 7,000 works of American Art (with emphasis on the Hudson Valley and Catskill Regions), 19th, 20th and 21st century photography, metals, and a "world collection" of art and artifacts dating back to ancient times and representing diverse cultures. Through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, the Dorsky supports and enriches the academic programs at the college, presents a broad range of world art for study and enjoyment, and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture.{{Cite web |title=Mission |url=https://www.newpaltz.edu/museum/information/mission.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301035151/http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum/information/mission.html |archive-date=2014-03-01 |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=The Dorsky at SUNY New Paltz}} The Dorsky's facilities include research and seminar rooms for visitors, students and professors at SUNY New Paltz.

File:Newpaltz hawks logo.png

SUNY New Paltz teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Hawks are a member of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming & diving, volleyball and lacrosse; women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball.

For the first time in program history, New Paltz men’s volleyball team captured the NCAA Division III Tournament title in 2016. The win also marked the first NCAA title for any New Paltz team.{{cite web|last1=Kramer|first1=Melissa|title=Men's Volleyball Takes Home New Paltz's First-Ever National Title|date=April 28, 2016|url=http://oracle.newpaltz.edu/mens-volleyball-takes-home-new-paltzs-first-ever-national-title/|publisher=SUNY New Paltz Oracle|access-date=17 November 2017|archive-date=November 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118222042/http://oracle.newpaltz.edu/mens-volleyball-takes-home-new-paltzs-first-ever-national-title/|url-status=live}} Three years later, they defeated UC Santa Cruz to win their second championship in the sport and second for the school overall.{{cite web |last1=Northam |first1=Mitchell |title=SUNY New Paltz wins 2019 DIII men's volleyball national championship |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/volleyball-men/article/2019-04-28/suny-new-paltz-wins-2019-diii-mens-volleyball-national |publisher=NCAA |access-date=7 May 2019 |archive-date=May 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507030103/https://www.ncaa.com/news/volleyball-men/article/2019-04-28/suny-new-paltz-wins-2019-diii-mens-volleyball-national |url-status=live }}

File:The Old Main Quad at SUNY New Paltz.JPG

The student governance is operated by the Student Association, which funds most student activities through a mandatory fee. There are many clubs, fraternities, and sororities. Clubs that are recognized by the Student Association are organized into one of six boards: academic, advocacy, athletic, fine and performing arts, media, and social and cultural.{{Cite web|url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/saus/organizations.html|title=SUNY New Paltz - Office of Student Activities and Union Services|website=www.newpaltz.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-03-15|archive-date=March 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306212533/http://www.newpaltz.edu/saus/organizations.html|url-status=live}} There is also an on-campus government, the Residence Hall Student Association (RHSA).{{cite web|url=http://www2.newpaltz.edu/rhsa/about/|title=RHSA official web site About webpage|publisher=Newpaltz.edu|access-date=June 27, 2011|archive-date=September 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927105212/http://www2.newpaltz.edu/rhsa/about/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/rhsa/|title=RHSA official web site Officers list webpage|publisher=Newpaltz.edu|access-date=June 27, 2011|archive-date=May 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520021406/http://www.newpaltz.edu/rhsa/|url-status=live}}

The college has an auxiliary services corporation common to many state campuses in New York, called Campus Auxiliary Services, Inc. This on-campus company operates the dining halls and bookstore, as well as being the source of discretionary funds for spending by the college president and the RHSA.{{cite web|url=http://cas.newpaltz.edu/|title=CAS official web site|publisher=Newpaltz.edu|access-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418203053/http://cas.newpaltz.edu/|archive-date=April 18, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

The college has a foundation and an active alumni association.{{cite web |url=http://www.newpaltz.edu/afv/ |title=Official web pages for Alumni, friends, visitors, and SUNY New Paltz Foundation |publisher=Newpaltz.edu |access-date=20 October 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204030422/http://www.newpaltz.edu/afv/ |archive-date=February 4, 2005 |df=mdy-all }}

The Center for Student Media at SUNY New Paltz consists of six clubs in the organization:{{Cite web |title=Center for Student Media {{!}} SUNY New Paltz |url=https://www.newpaltz.edu/center-for-student-media/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.newpaltz.edu}}

The college's official student newspaper is The Oracle. In 2010, it was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists for having the Best Affiliated Website for four-year college or university (Region 1 competition). It was named as a runner-up for the National Title.

The campus TV station was WNPC TV. It has since become Hawk Studios, a video production club which makes short films and TV shows.

The college's radio station, WFNP, is known as "The Edge". It broadcasts part-time at FM 88.7, and also streams online.{{citation |url=http://www.wfnp.org/ |title=WFNP 88.7 FM the EDGE |publisher=SUNY New Paltz |access-date=November 5, 2009 |archive-date=December 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209055734/http://wfnp.org/ |url-status=live }}

There is also the New Paltz Music Collective, The Fahari Libertad, and The Teller.

Recognized fraternities and sororities at the university include:{{Cite web |title=Recognized Fraternities and Sororities {{!}} SUNY New Paltz |url=https://www.newpaltz.edu/studentengagement/student-involvement/fraternity-and-sorority-life/greeklife_orgs.html |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.newpaltz.edu}}

There were several student-led demonstrations in the late 1960s and early 1970s, primarily against the Vietnam War. In the spring of 1967, a sit-in protesting military recruitment on campus blocked the entrance to the Student Union for two days. While there were scores of demonstrators the first day, all but 13 dispersed before New York State Troopers arrived and bodily carried the demonstrators to a waiting school bus for a trip to court. In the fall of 1968, students rallied in support of Craig Pastor (now Craig DeYong) who had been arrested by New Paltz Village Police for desecration of the American flag which he was wearing as a superhero cape in a student film directed by Edward Falco. College President John J. Neumaier posted bail. Pastor was released and charges were dropped.{{cn|date=April 2023}}

The Cambodian Campaign and concomitant Kent State shootings in May 1970 led to a protest that culminated in a five-day student occupation of the Administration Building, subsequently renamed Old Main after the opening of the Haggerty Administration Building two years later.

A March 1974 sit-in at the Haggerty Building reacted against perceived discriminatory hiring practices, the state-mandated reintegration of Shango Hall (which then housed underrepresented students), and the threatened cessation of the experimental studies program in the wake of a budget shortfall.{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xKJhAAAAIBAJ&pg=1597,4397432&dq=new+paltz+experimental+studies&hl=en|title=New Palz Building Occupied|date=Mar 27, 1974|publisher=The Evening News|via=Google News Archive Search|access-date=October 17, 2020|archive-date=July 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709021152/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xKJhAAAAIBAJ&pg=1597,4397432&dq=new+paltz+experimental+studies&hl=en|url-status=live}}

{{see also|2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses}}

Protests at the university over the Gaza war began in early 2024. On February 28, 2024, members of the Israeli Defense Forces were invited to campus by the Jewish Student Union with the assistance of the New Paltz chapter of Students Supporting Israel, to discuss their experiences serving, as well as their opinions of the war. In response a protest rally was organized by New Paltz Students for Palestine, in which over 150 students, alumni, and activists protested during and after the event.{{cite news |last=Silva |first=Maria |date=February 29, 2024 |title=Student event with Israel Defense Force soldiers at SUNY New Paltz draws backlash |url=https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/suny-new-paltz-event-idf-soldiers-backlash-18693640.php |access-date=March 7, 2024 |website=Times Union}} Following the event and the protest, President Wheeler released a statement, saying, "I write today to share a brief note of gratitude to those within our community who helped ensure that all participants’ safety and rights were protected during the event organized yesterday by our Jewish Student Union and the corresponding counter demonstration."{{cite web |url=https://t.e2ma.net/webview/e7pr9r/c3310e917ac481997875743731bd267f |title=A thank you to the campus community |last=Wheeler |first=Darrell |date=February 29, 2024 |website=New Paltz University |access-date=7 March 2024}}

On May 1, 2024, over 100 students, faculty and others pitched in to establish an encampment on Parker Quad, spurred on by the Gaza Solidarity encampments established at other colleges across the country. President Wheeler visited the encampment and asked them to dismantle the tents, but students refused. He then wrote down notes regarding the demands of the organizers, which included divestment from companies doing business with Israel, amnesty for people disciplined by the school, and disclosure of the investments the school makes.{{cite web|url=https://www.recordonline.com/story/news/local/2024/05/01/suny-new-paltz-students-join-protests-of-israel-hamas-war/73530082007/ |title=SUNY New Paltz students join other Israel-Hamas war protests around the state |last=Eames |first=Sarah |date=May 1, 2024 |website=Record Online |access-date=May 2, 2024}}

The following day, on May 2, two members of Student Affairs visited the encampment in an effort to get students to dismantle it by 7:00 p.m. The protesters refused, and were later told to leave by 9:00 p.m. When the time came, they refused to leave, and administration called the police.{{cite web|url=https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2024/05/02/new-paltz-vassar-college-students-join-nationwide-ceasefire-encampment-trend/ |title= Updated Live: Police storm SUNY New Paltz campus to disperse protest encampment |last=|first=|date=May 2, 2024 |website=Hudson Valley One |access-date=May 3, 2024}} Officers including New York State troopers, the NYSUP, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Paltz Police Department all participated. Police brought K-9s, batons, and nonlethal firearms.{{cite web|url=https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/suny-new-paltz-palestine-encampment-arrests-19436848.php |title=Police arrest dozens at SUNY New Paltz pro-Palestine encampment |last=Pantuso |first=Philip |date=May 3, 2024 |website=Times Union |access-date=May 3, 2024}} Over 100 people were arrested, with at least three people injured. One student being kicked in the face and an elderly woman was allegedly knocked unconscious.{{cite web|url=https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2024/05/03/over-100-protestors-arrested-at-suny-new-paltz-encampment/73552057007/ |title= Over 100 people arrested at SUNY New Paltz encampment |last=Ali |first=Saba |date=May 3, 2024 |website=Record Online |access-date=May 4, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/cbs-6-speaks-with-new-paltz-student-hurt-in-college-protests-gaza-pro-palestine-israel-hamas-war-encampment-injury-camp-protesting-suny-campus- |title=CBS 6 speaks with New Paltz student hurt in college protests |last=WRGB Staff |date=May 3, 2024 |website=Record Online |access-date=May 3, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/hudson-valley/education/2024/05/03/several-arrested-at-suny-new-paltz-pro-palestinian-protest |title=Arrests made at SUNY New Paltz pro-Palestinian protest, including working Spectrum News reporter, after deadline passes to leave |last=Spectrum News Staff |date=May 3, 2024 |website=Spectrum News |access-date=May 6, 2024}}

{{alumni|date=August 2023}}

Image:PostcardNewPalltzNYNormalSchoolPrincipalsResidence1909.jpg

SUNY New Paltz alumni include:

• Salvador Agron – "The Capeman," the main figure from the Broadway show The Capeman{{cite web|last1=Moritz|first1=Owen|title=Salvador Agron 'Cape Man'|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/salvador-agron-cape-man-article-1.402527|work=New York Daily News|date=September 5, 2009|access-date=7 March 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402143351/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/salvador-agron-cape-man-article-1.402527|url-status=live}}
• Michael Badalucco – actor{{cite web|title=Michael Badalucco - Biography|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/3181/Michael-Badalucco/biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403094241/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/3181/Michael-Badalucco/biography|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 April 2015|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|author=Jason Buchanan|date=2015|access-date=7 March 2015}}
• Yak Ballz – underground rapper born Yashar Zadeh
• David Bernsley (born 1969), American-Israeli basketball player
• Eleonor Bindman (born 1965), American pianist, teacher and recording artist
• Rob Borsellino – reporter{{cite web|last1=McCormick|first1=John|last2=Zeleny|first2=Jeff|last3=Reid|first3=Andy|title=Rob Borsellino, 56, Former Sun-sentinel Columnist|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-05-30/news/0605290213_1_lou-gehrig-s-disease-des-moines-palm-beach-county|publisher=Sun Sentinel|access-date=7 March 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105633/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-05-30/news/0605290213_1_lou-gehrig-s-disease-des-moines-palm-beach-county|url-status=dead}}
• Kevin Cahill – member of the New York State Assembly{{cite web|last1=Snel|first1=Alan|title=SUNY New Paltz gains field house loan|url=http://www.recordonline.com/article/20020222/News/302229997|publisher=Times Herald Record|access-date=7 March 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402221648/http://www.recordonline.com/article/20020222/News/302229997|url-status=live}}
• Regina Calcaterra – author{{cite web|title=Author Regina Calcaterra will speak at SUNY|url=http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20150205/author-regina-calcaterra-will-speak-at-suny|website=dailyfreeman.com|date=February 5, 2015|publisher=Daily Freeman|access-date=7 March 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402135033/http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20150205/author-regina-calcaterra-will-speak-at-suny|url-status=live}}
• Joan Chen – actress
• Scott Cohen – actor
• Murali Coryell – guitarist
• Marco DaSilva - multimedia artist
• Anthony Denison – actor
• Mary Deyo (1887 graduate of normal school) – missionary teacher in Japan
• James Dolan – owner of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden; former CEO of Cablevision
• Chris Eachus – member of the New York State Assembly{{citation |url=https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Chris-Eachus/bio/ |title=Biography |publisher=New York State Assembly |access-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213095154/https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Chris-Eachus/bio/ |url-status=live }}
• Jessica Faieta – Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• Edward Falco – novelist and professor of English at Virginia Tech{{citation |url=http://www.english.vt.edu/graduate/faculty.html#falco |title=Graduate Faculty |publisher=Virginia Tech |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906105236/http://www.english.vt.edu/graduate/faculty.html#falco |archive-date=September 6, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}
• Helen K. Garber – photographer
• Michael J. X. Gladis – actor
• Vinny Guadagnino – Jersey Shore reality show actor{{cite web |url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/vinnie_of_jersey_shore_says_law_school_is_fallback_plan |title=Careers: Vinny of 'Jersey Shore' Says Law School Is Fallback Plan |author=Debra Cassens Weiss |publisher=American Bar Association's ABA Journal |date=January 27, 2010 |access-date=March 11, 2010 |archive-date=February 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214160341/http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/vinnie_of_jersey_shore_says_law_school_is_fallback_plan/ |url-status=live }}
• Maurice Hinchey '68, M.A. '70 – member of the United States House of Representatives
• Vicky Jeudy – actor{{cite web|last1=Sokol|first1=Rachel|title=District Home Editions Queenswide Netflix star: There's no place like Queens|url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/netflix-star-there-s-no-place-like-queens/article_c352e696-cedc-5c86-95e8-43b9e485d7d9.html|website=Queens Chronicle|date=October 31, 2013|access-date=5 December 2015|archive-date=January 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121095215/http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/netflix-star-there-s-no-place-like-queens/article_c352e696-cedc-5c86-95e8-43b9e485d7d9.html|url-status=live}}
• Gary King – university professor of government at Harvard University{{cite web |title=Two scholars honored with university professorships |date=September 2009 |url=https://harvardmagazine.com/2009/09/two-honored-with-university-professorships |publisher=Harvard Magazine |access-date=29 July 2020 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812052651/https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2009/09/two-honored-with-university-professorships |url-status=live }}
• Robert Kyncl – CEO of Warner Music Group
• Kenneth LaValle – member of the New York State Senate
• Christopher Manson – children's book author and illustrator
• Tomas Morales – president of California State University, San Bernardino
• Eileen Moran – visual effects producer and former executive at Weta Digital{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Barnes |title=Top Visual Effects Producer Eileen Moran Dies in New Zealand; Worked on 'Avatar,' 'The Hobbit' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/eileen-moran-visual-effects-peter-jackson-397419 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2012-12-03 |access-date=2012-12-28 |archive-date=October 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029234514/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/eileen-moran-visual-effects-peter-jackson-397419 |url-status=live }}
• Fabrizio Moretti – drummer for The Strokes
• Alex Luciano – musician, guitarist and songwriter for Diet Cig
• Berhanu Nega – Ethiopian politician
• Ann Nocenti – Marvel Comics editor; journalist{{cite web|title=Kingston's Ann Nocenti takes old superhero to new places|url=http://www.kingstonx.com/2012/07/13/kingstons-ann-nocenti-takes-old-superhero-to-new-places/|website=Kingston Times|publisher=Ulster Publishing|access-date=7 March 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402145815/http://www.kingstonx.com/2012/07/13/kingstons-ann-nocenti-takes-old-superhero-to-new-places/|url-status=live}}
• William Parment – member of the New York State Assembly
• Andrea Peyser – New York Post columnist
• Roseann Runte – president of Old Dominion University
• Ilyasah Shabazz – daughter of Malcolm X; writer
• Andy Shernoff – songwriter, rock musician
• Frank Skartados – member of the New York State Assembly
• Alex Storozynski – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
• Brianna Titone - geologist and Colorado state representative
• Aida Turturro – actress
• John Turturro – actor
• Jason West – former mayor of the village of New Paltz, New York
• Michael C. Williams – actor, The Blair Witch Project
• Zach Zarba – NBA official
• Kevin Zraly – wine educator; founder of the Windows on the World Wine School

• Clinton Bennett – adjunct lecturer, religious studies program; authority on Islam
• Jamie Bennett – emeritus professor (1985–2015) of art{{cite web|url=http://enamelarts.org/index.php?collection&action=view_artist&artist_id=87|title=View artist and art|website=enamelarts.org|access-date=20 October 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203075009/http://enamelarts.org/index.php?collection&action=view_artist&artist_id=87|url-status=live}}
• Manuel Bromberg - professor emeritus of art
• Lew Brownstein - historian and former chair of political science and international relations department
• Arthur H. Cash (died 2016) – SUNY Distinguished Professor and professor emeritus of English; authority on Laurence Sterne
• Robert Ebendorf – former professor in the metals department, starting in 1970.{{Cite news|last=Robinson|first=Ruth|date=1977-08-22|title=The Jewelry Is Disparate, But the Artists Share a Bond|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/22/archives/the-jewelry-is-disparate-but-the-artists-share-a-bond.html|access-date=2021-06-29|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629213308/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/22/archives/the-jewelry-is-disparate-but-the-artists-share-a-bond.html|url-status=live}}
• Vladimir Feltsman – university professor, music department
• Heinz Insu Fenkl – professor of English; novelist, translator and folklorist
• Carol Goodman – adjunct in creative writing; novelist
• Laurence M. Hauptman – distinguished professor of history
• Ray Huang – late professor emeritus of history; authority on the Ming dynasty; author of 1587: a Year of No Significance
• Nancy Kassop - former chair of the political science department
• Chaim Koppelman (1920–2009), American artist, educator, and Aesthetic Realism consultant
• John Langan - instructor of creative writing and gothic literature; author of horror stories, notably the Bram Stoker Award winning novel "The Fisherman"
• Joe Langworth – adjunct, musical theatre
• Kurt Matzdorf – professor emeritus of goldsmithing and silversmith (working from 1957 to 1985); he founded the metals department.{{Cite web|date=January 6, 2009|title=Deaths: Matzdorf, Kurt|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05E3DB1F3AF935A35752C0A96F9C8B63|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-29|website=The New York Times|language=en|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709021653/https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9D05E3DB1F3AF935A35752C0A96F9C8B63.html}}{{Cite web|title=Kurt J. Matzdorf Obituary (2008)|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/recordonline/name/kurt-matzdorf-obituary?pid=121746292|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Legacy.com|publisher=Times Herald-Record|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629213308/https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/recordonline/name/kurt-matzdorf-obituary?pid=121746292}}
• Anthony Robinson – professor emeritus of English and former director of creative writing program
• Harry Schwartz – The New York Times editorial writer, Soviet specialist
• H.R. Stoneback – SUNY distinguished teaching professor and professor of English; authority on Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Lawrence Durrell
• William Strongin - Rabbi, author, and professor who is currently{{as of?|date=April 2023}} the director of Jewish Studies

• List of university art museums and galleries in New York State

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• {{Cite book |first1=Elizabeth W. |last1=Lang |first2=Robert P. |last2=Lang |title=In a Valley Fair: A History of the State University College of Education at New Paltz |location=New Paltz, NY |publisher=State University of New York |year=1960 |oclc=4742901}}
• {{Cite thesis | last = Klotzberger | first = Edward Lewis | title = The Growth and Development of State Teachers College, New Paltz, State University of New York, with Implications of Education in the State of New York | degree = PhD | oclc = 43967254 | year = 1958 | publisher = University of Connecticut}}

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