STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT PLATTSBURGH

The 'State University of New York College at Plattsburgh' (also known as 'SUNY Plattsburgh', 'Plattsburgh State', or 'Plattsburgh State University') is a selective, four-year, public liberal arts college in Plattsburgh, New York.

Contents

History

Founding of the Plattsburgh Normal School

Opening of Normal Hall

Fire of 1929

State University of New York

More information

Location

Notable alumni and former students

Campus media

Trivia

References

External links

History

Founding of the Plattsburgh Normal School

After decades championing for the cause of a Normal School for Plattsburgh, influential businessmen and former state politician Smith M. Weed formally proposed a bill on January 12, 1888.^[2] With the strong backing of Assemblymen General Stephen Moffitt the 'Plattsburgh Normal School' bill was passed by both houses of the New York State Legislature and signed into law by Governor David B. Hill in June 1889.^[3] The Board of Directors adopted official bi-laws for Plattsburgh Normal School on September 2, 1889.^[4]

Opening of Normal Hall

At a meeting held on June 28, 1889, it was decided that the location of the new normal school would be on land known as "the former athletic grounds", bounded on the north by Court Street, on the east by Wells Street, on the south by Brinkerhoff Street, and on the west by Beekman Street.^[5] However these original plans were dropped in favor of a larger plot created by combining land on each side of Court Street west of Beekman Street, so that "Court street, one of the finest residence street in the village, leads directly to the main entrance".^[6] This is the same location where Hawkins Hall now rests on the current campus of SUNY Plattsburgh.^{modern map}
The impressive structure, known as "Normal Hall", was constructed by Brown Brothers of Mohawk, New York, who also built the Court House in downtown Plattsburgh.^[7] Normal Hall was used both for classes and as a dormitory.
Plattsburgh Normal School officially opened with its first day of classes on the morning of September 3, 1890.^[8] The school's first principal was Fox Holden, former Superintendent of the Plattsburgh Union Graded Schools.⁶ Holden served for only three years, from 1890 until the first graduating class in 1892.

Fire of 1929

Class of 1895

1925 yearbook

On January 26, 1929, a fire completely destroyed the Plattsburgh Normal School. The fire started in the boiler room on a cold Saturday morning. Aided by high winds, the entire structure was fully engulfed in flames within a half-hour. Six children were rescued from the school by faculty members.
Classes resumed the following Wednesday at City Hall in downtown.^[9] By June of 1930 plans were presented for a new structure to replace Normal Hall. The new building would be twice as long and boast three times the capacity of the original building. Among its many modern features was a 1,000 seat auditorium.
The new structure was completed in 1932 and was named Hawkins Hall in honor of George K. Hawkins, the principal of Plattsburgh Normal School from 1898 to 1933.^[2]

State University of New York

Plattsburgh Normal School was renamed 'SUNY Plattsburgh' when it joined the State University of New York system with its establishment in 1948. When the school became part of the SUNY system, it changed from a two-year teacher's institution to a selective, four-year, public liberal arts college.
During the 1960s and 1970s SUNY Plattsburgh, as well as the whole State University of New York system, underwent rapid growth. Many of the more modern buildings on campus were constructed during this time period, including the Angell College Center, Feinberg Library, and several high-rise dormitories.

More information

SUNY Plattsburgh offers degree programs, primarily at the Bachelor's level, in over 60 areas of study. Nestled within the Champlain Valley, in the shadow of the Adirondack Mountains, and along the western banks of Lake Champlain, the college is home to approximately 6,000 students and 300 faculty.
Plattsburgh maintains the original goals of the ''Plattsburgh Normal School'' in the form of a well-regarded education department and a nursing program. All degree programs are offered within three academic divisions: Arts and Science; Education, Health and Human Services (including the SUNY Plattsburgh Auditory Research Laboratories); the School of Business and Economics.

SUNY Plattsburgh is also notable for its pioneering environmental science program, its communications and media program, its national championship hockey team, and its large art museum.
Plattsburgh State was the first college in the SUNY system to offer an environmental science program; one of the best in North America, which is popular with the many students who choose to attend Plattsburgh for its close proximity to the Adirondack Mountains. The region provides further advantages for students enrolling in Plattsburgh's Bachelor's program in Expeditionary Studies.
The Men's Hockey and Women's Hockey teams are perennial powerhouses in the NCAA's division III. The men's team has won the national championship title several times, with the women's hockey team making it to the Frozen Four numerous times, finally winning the National Title in 2007. The Plattsburgh State Art Museum is considered a "Museum Without Walls" and includes the Rockwell Kent Gallery (repository of the bulk of the work of American painter Rockwell Kent), a large open-air sculpture park, and a number of works by other well-known artists including Pablo Picasso and Auguste Rodin. The college also offers an extensive Canadian Studies program through the Center for the Study of Canada. About 1,200 students — approximately 20 percent of the undergraduate population—have taken required Canadian Studies courses, the highest percentage of any college in the United States.^[10]

Location

Plattsburgh State is within close proximity of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. The campus is less than a twenty-five minute drive from the Canadian border, and an approximately ninety minute drive from the city of Montreal, Canada.
A ferry to Grand Isle, Vermont is also a short 15-minute drive from the campus, making a trip to Burlington, Vermont an hour away from Plattsburgh. Many SUNY Plattsburgh students are avid skiers and snowboarders as evidenced from the popular Adirondack Experience Program or 'ADX'. ADX often facilitates trips to Whiteface Mountain and Titus Mountain.

Notable alumni and former students

★ Dave Annable, Actor. ''Reunion'' (2005), ''Brothers & Sisters'' (2006-present) - Former Student

★ Tom Chapin, Grammy Award-winning musician - Alumnus

★ Dawn Fratangelo, Reporter, NBC News - Alumna

★ Nancy Kress, science fiction writer, Hugo Award winner for Beggars in Spain^[11] - Alumna

★ Tim Robbins, Oscar-winning actor (''The Shawshank Redemption'', ''Mystic River'')^[12] - Former Student

★ Anthony D. Weiner, U.S. Congressman New York 9th District^[13] - Alumnus

Campus media

★ ''Cardinal Points'' - Student-run newspaper.

★ ''Plattsburgh State Television'' - Student run television station.

★ ''WQKE 93.9FM'' - Student run radio station named The Quake focusing on underground music of all genres.

Trivia

★ Often mistaken for Hawkins Hall, the structure on the left side of the current SUNY Plattsburgh seal is the central tower of the original Normal Hall (1889-1929).

★ Peter Frampton's classic rock hit song ''Do You Feel Like We Do'', from the best-selling album ''Frampton Comes Alive!'' was recorded live on the campus of SUNY Plattsburgh on November 22,1975.^[14] This Student Association sponsored concert was held at Memorial Hall.

★ On July 10, 1976, the campus of SUNY Plattsburgh served as the official staging area for the United States Olympic Team before leaving for the 1976 Summer Olympics in nearby Montreal, Canada. President Gerald Ford visited the college campus to address the 425 Olympic athletes outside the Plattsburgh State Field House.^[15][16]

★ In 1904, Plattsburgh Normal College was shut out by Potsdam Normal College in a collegiate basketball game by a score of 123-0.^[17]

★ During the early 1990s, Playboy magazine ranked SUNY Plattsburgh as one of the top party schools in the nation.

★ SUNY Plattsburgh served as the filming location for two documentary films: 1982's Academy Award-winning If You Love This Planet and parts of 2003's The Yes Men.

References

1.
2. A Normal School At Plattsburgh
3. Got It At Last! A State Normal School To Be Located At Plattsburgh
4. The Normal School
5. Plans For New Normal School Are Presented
6. The State Normal School At Plattsburgh
7. A New Essex Co. Railroad
8. Successful Opening of the New Normal School
9. Plattsburgh State Normal School Destroyed By Fire Saturday
10. Zaidi, Noor. "Oh Canada! It's More Than Just Hockey And Beer." Columbia Spectator. December 3, 2004.
11. Nancy Kress' official homepage (accessed 10 Dec 2005)
12. Tim Robbins' New York Times biography (accessed 10 Dec 2005)
13. Anthony Weiner campaign blog (accessed 10 Dec 2005)
14. Crowe, Cameron (1976). Do You Feel Like We Do. In Frampton Comes Alive [CD liner notes]. Santa Monica: A&M Records.
15. Ford Gives Olympic Athletes a Send-Off Robert Reinhold
16. Ford speech in Plattsburgh
17. Basketball's Most Wanted, , Floyd, Conner, Brassey's, , ISBN 1-57488-361-5


★ Bright With Promise: From the Normal and Training School to SUNY Plattsburgh: 1889-1989; A Pictorial History, , Dr. Douglas Richard^[3], Skopp, Donning Press, ,

External links

★ SUNY Plattsburgh

★ Student Association

★ Past Presidents and Principals of Plattsburgh State

★ Cardinal Points

★ Plattsburgh State Television

★ WQKE "The Quake"

★ SUNY Plattsburgh Trivia