State University of New York at New Paltz

The State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz or New Paltz) is a public university in New Paltz, New York, United States.

The university first opened as the New Paltz Classical School in 1828. After changing its name to the New Paltz Academy in 1833, the school was destroyed by a fire in 1884. Afterwards the school offered their land to the state government of New York as long as they promised to open a normal school.

In 1885, one year after the fire, the New Paltz Normal and Training School, or New Paltz Normal School, was opened to prepare teachers to practice their professions in the public schools of New York.

When the State University of New York was started in 1948, the Teachers College at New Paltz was one of 30 colleges associated under the new SUNY system. In 1960, the college began offering courses beyond teaching. One year after that, in 1961, the school updated its name to the State University of New York College of Arts and Science at New Paltz.

The college was rebranded as the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1994.

The SUNY New Paltz campus consists of about 216 acres in the small town of New Paltz, New York. There are 14 residence halls and 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 a gymnasium.

Campus theaters

SUNY at New Paltz has three on-campus theaters.

• Mckenna Theater
• Parker Theater
• Max and Nadia Shepard Recital Hall