The Board of Trustees for SUNY Ulster has announced the search to identify the College’s seventh president and invites nominations and applications for the position.
Over the past 50+ years, SUNY Ulster has grown significantly from its first class of 50 graduates to over 24,312 conferred degrees and over 400,000 students served through credit and noncredit courses. The College offers over 60 degrees, academic certificates, micro-credentials, and noncredit certifications, serving approximately 3,000 students each semester. Best Colleges ranked SUNY Ulster as #1 in their annual ranking of “Top Ten Best Community Colleges in New York State” for 2020 and 2021.
As a progressive and educational institution, innovative academic and workforce programs have been introduced to address the educational and training needs of emerging careers to meet the 21st Century needs of our students and the Hudson Valley workforce. SUNY Ulster’s main campus is located on an expansive and beautiful 165 acres of the Hudson Valley in the town of Stone Ridge, Ulster County. The College has an additional location, the Kingston Center, which is a state-of-the-art auxiliary educational support center in the city of Kingston, which provides access to resources for those residing outside the main campus service region. The College also has a cutting-edge Public Safety Training facility located in the Town of Ulster.
The State University of New York (SUNY) is currently the largest comprehensive university system in the United States and includes 64 community colleges, universities, and colleges. With 93% of New York residents living within 15 miles of a SUNY campus, accessibility for New Yorkers is a driving force behind the mission of the system. The colleges and universities of SUNY attract the best and brightest scholars, scientists, artists, and professionals, making it one of the premier academic systems in the nation. Founded in 1948, the State University of New York has dramatically evolved to meet the needs of the state’s students, communities, and workforce.
As one of the 30 community colleges in the SUNY system, SUNY Ulster provides students the ability to experience the environment of a small community college while reaping the benefits of a larger institution. SUNY Ulster is involved in SUNY system-wide activities, including the SUNY Guided Pathways Institute Cohort 2, the SUNY Open Educational Resources initiative, and the SUNY Strong Start to Finish grant.
The College's foundation, Ulster Community College Foundation Inc., was established 45 years ago and has a devoted and competent staff and board. In 2021, more than $500,000 in scholarships were awarded to SUNY Ulster students. In addition, in 2016, the Foundation initiated the President’s Challenge Scholarship which awards 50 scholarships annually over nine school districts county-wide. This program focuses on 8th grade students who are mentored throughout high school, ending with SUNY Ulster full-time enrollment upon high school graduation. This effort has raised over 2.7M for this unique and rewarding program. With extraordinary growth since 2016, the Foundation currently enjoys assets of some $15,000,000.
SUNY Ulster is located in the bucolic Mid-Hudson Valley, only two hours from New York City and one hour from Albany. Noted for its rich history and agriculture, the area offers many opportunities for work and recreation. Public transportation (bus and train) makes travel to and from the metro area easy. The Mid-Hudson Valley is adorned with beautiful vistas, from the mighty Hudson River to the Catskill Mountains and the Shawangunk Ridge offering outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, kayaking and boating. It is home to many distinctive universities and colleges such as Vassar College, Bard College, Marist College, SUNY New Paltz, and the Culinary Institute of America. Settled by the Dutch, the area is awash in farms varying in size from a few acres to more than 2,000 acres. The region is home to a large collective of artists and arts organizations including DIA: Beacon, Bardavon Theatre, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, Storm King Art Center, FDR Presidential Library and Museum, Ulster Performing Arts Center, Hudson River Maritime Museum, and the Women’s Studio Workshop.
Specifically, SUNY Ulster’s main campus, located in the hamlet of Stone Ridge on an expansive and beautiful 165 acres, serves Ulster County which has a population of 178,000 people. SUNY Ulster is just 10 miles from the county seat of Kingston, which is deeply steeped in history and recently has enjoyed an influx of makers and professionals creating a vibrant colorful culture. Quality of life prevails throughout our community.
SUNY Ulster seeks a proven innovator, visionary, and inclusive leader who will make a long-term commitment to the College and community, and who will work with faculty, staff, and administrators, to increase student success.