Empire State College


Empire State College is a public college headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York system. Empire State College is a multi-site institution offering associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees, and distance degrees worldwide through the Center for Distance Learning. Empire State College is the only SUNY institution that offers open admissions, is adult-serving, and has a majority of online students.
The School for Graduate Studies offers master's degrees. Empire State College'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 College 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, eArmyU, Navy College Program and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Empire State College administrative offices are located in Saratoga Springs, New York.

History

NameTenure
James W. Hall1971–1998
Joseph B. MooreMarch 2000 – June 2007
Kimberly Cline June 2007 – October 2007
Joyce Elliott October 2007 – July 31, 2008
Alan DavisAugust 1, 2008 – July 31, 2012
Meg Benke August 1, 2012 - May 8, 2013
Merodie A. HancockMay 9, 2013 – March 3, 2018
Mitchell Nesler March 3, 2018 – July 14, 2019
James MalatrasJuly 15, 2019 – Present

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 would invite people into higher education by removing impediments to access such as time, location, institutional processes, and even curricular custom, as well as habits of learning and teaching. Students individually would define their academic needs, purposes and efforts. The college would be flexible in supporting them, through its faculty, policies and procedures, to achieve demonstrable college-level learning. This is the animating idea and the root of Empire State College.

Mascot

Empire State College in 2020 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.

Academics

Empire State College fulfills its mission by providing learning opportunities designed to accommodate students with family, work and community responsibilities. At the core of the learning-teaching environment is individualized study and the creation of an individual degree plan that is supported by a faculty mentor to whom each student is assigned. Empire State College students can take advantage of multiple modes of study including guided independent studies, study groups, intensive residencies, online courses and blended-learning experiences. The college also was one of the first institutions in the United States to develop a program of prior learning assessment, whereby students may earn college credit through assessment of prior learning from their work and life experiences.
The college offers flexible programs, including 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.

Locations

Notable alumni