# Empire State University

Empire State University (SUNY Empire) is a public university headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Empire State University is a multi-site institution offering associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral degrees, and distance degrees worldwide through the Center for Distance Learning. The university has approximately 12,000 undergraduate students and has an acceptance rate of 51%. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
The School for Graduate Studies offers master's degrees. Empire State University's Center for International Programs also has special programs for students in Lebanon through the American University of Science and Technology, Czech Republic, and Greece. From 2005 to 2010, Empire State University and Anadolu University in Turkey offered a joint MBA program. It also has arranged learning opportunities with UAW-Ford University, United Steelworkers of America, Corporate Noncredit Training, Navy College Program, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local Union #3). Empire State University administrative offices are located in Saratoga Springs, New York.

## History

Empire State College was designed by then SUNY Chancellor Ernest Boyer in a document titled "Prospectus for a New University College." In 1971, Ernest L. Boyer, chancellor of the State University of New York, conceived a new college for the state's public university: a college dedicated to adult student-centered education. Empire State College was designed removing impediments to access such as time, location, institutional processes, and curricular customs. In this design, students would individually define their academic needs, purposes, and efforts. The college would be flexible in supporting them through its faculty, policies, and procedures, to achieve college-level learning.

### Mascot

In 2020, Empire State University named its first-ever mascot, Blue the Bluebird. A campus-wide vote took place and Blue the Bluebird beat out other finalists, Cam the Chameleon and Van the Vanguard. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni cast 9,922 total votes in the finals. The bluebird is New York's state bird.

### Presidents

| Name | Tenure |
| James W. Hall | 1971–1998 |
| Jane Altes (interim*) | January 1998 – September 2000 |
| Joseph B. Moore | September 2000 – June 2007 |
| Kimberly Cline (acting*) | June 2007 – October 2007 |
| Joyce Elliott (interim*) | October 2007 – July 31, 2008 |
| Alan Davis | August 1, 2008 – July 31, 2012 |
| Meg Benke (acting*) | August 1, 2012 – May 8, 2013 |
| Merodie A. Hancock | May 9, 2013 – March 3, 2018 |
| Mitchell Nesler (Officer-in-Charge*) | March 3, 2018 – July 14, 2019 |
| Jim Malatras | July 15, 2019 – August 30, 2020 |
| Beth Berlin (Officer-in-Charge*) | August 31, 2020 – June 30, 2022 |
| Lisa Vollendorf | July 1, 2022 – present |
| *title designates acting/interim leaders ||

## Academics

The university offers undergraduate and graduate distance education, extensive transfers of credits from other universities, prior-learning assessment for knowledge gained through independent studies, standardized evaluations, and the opportunity to design one's own degree with an academic advisor or mentor.

### Rankings

In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Empire State University No.151-165 out of 171 Regional Universities North, No.57-60 in Top Public Schools, tied at No.392 in Nursing, and No.161 in Top Performers on Social Mobility.

## Notable alumni

* Stephen Chan (American politician), NY State Senator
* Amy Arbus (2003), photographer
* Ita Aber, artist and curator
* Kenny Barron (1978), jazz pianist
* Ginny Brown-Waite (1976), former member US House of Representatives
* Herman Benson (1975), Union Reformer
* Dawoud Bey (1990), photographer
* Frank Enea (1993), musician and composer
* Alice Fulton (1978), English professor, winner of the 1991 MacArthur Fellows Program Award, commonly referred to as the "genius" award, for poetry
* Susan Gibney, actress
* Deborah Gregory (1986), author of Cheetah Girls
* Karl Grossman (1976), professor of journalism SUNY Old Westbury, author, TV program host
* Bob Herbert (1988), The New York Times columnist
* Rich Hickey (1992), creator of Clojure programming language
* Erick Johnson, American contemporary artist
* Bernard Kerik (2002), former Commissioner of the New York Police Department
* James J. LeCleir (1974), U.S. Air Force Major General
* Steven McLaughlin, member of the New York State Assembly, County Executive of Rensselaer County, New York
* Kathy Muehlemann (1978), abstract painter & professor
* Elliott Murphy (1988), singer-songwriter & author
* Mae Ngai (1992) historian, Columbia University
* Alan Rachins (1974), television actor
* Mark J.F. Schroeder (1982), New York Commissioner of Motor Vehicles
* Norman Seabrook, former president Of New York City Correction Officers' Benevolent Association (1995-2016), convicted on corruption charges
* James M. Sheppard (1999), chief of the Rochester Police Department and member of the Monroe County Legislature
* Melba Tolliver (1998), journalist, reporter, and news anchor
* Herb Trimpe (1997), artist on "The Incredible Hulk" comic series
* Bob Watson (1999), major league baseball player and executive
* Reggie Witherspoon (1995), college basketball coach