State University of New York at Potsdam
Encyclopedia
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
at Potsdam, also known as SUNY Potsdam, or, colloquially, Potsdam, is a public university located in the Village of Potsdam
Potsdam (village), New York
Potsdam is a village located in the Town of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York, USA. The population was 9,425 at the 2000 census.The Village of Potsdam is in the eastern part of the town and is northeast of Canton, the county seat....
in St. Lawrence County, New York
St. Lawrence County, New York
St. Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 111,944. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Catholic saint on whose Feast day the river was discovered by...
. Founded in 1816, it is among the 50 oldest colleges in the United States. It is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education and Professional Studies, and the Crane School of Music
Crane School of Music
The Crane School of Music is located in Potsdam, New York, and is one of three schools which make up the State University of New York at Potsdam....
.
History
Potsdam was founded by Benjamin Raymond in 1816 as the St. Lawrence Academy. In 1834, the academy was chosen by the New York State Legislature to exclusively offer a teacher educationTeacher education
Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community....
program for its senatorial district. With funds from the state, and from support by preceptor Reverend Asa Brainerd, the first diploma in teaching was given in 1836, thus beginning the academy's and eventually the college's longstanding tradition of excellence in the field of teacher education.
In 1866, the State Legislature ended its funding of teacher education departments in private academies, and began establishing several normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
s throughout the state. The Village of Potsdam was thus named as one of four locations for new normal schools, and in 1867, the St. Lawrence Academy became the Potsdam Normal School.
By 1886, the Potsdam Normal School had become the first institution in the United States to offer a normal training course for public school music teachers in the United States. Founded by Julia E. Crane, the Crane Normal Institute of Music continues today as the world-renowned Crane School of Music
Crane School of Music
The Crane School of Music is located in Potsdam, New York, and is one of three schools which make up the State University of New York at Potsdam....
as a leader in the field of music education
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
.
The State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
was founded in 1948, and Potsdam became one its founding members, and was thus renamed New York State Teachers College at Potsdam. In 1964, the college's mission changed to providing multiple programs, and the university adopted its current name.
During the 1980s, despite the college's traditional strengths in music and education, the college gained recognition for its quickly blossoming mathematics program under the guidance of Dr. Clarence F. Stephens
Clarence F. Stephens
Clarence F. Stephens was the ninth African American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. He is credited with inspiring students and faculty at SUNY Potsdam to form the most successful United States undergraduate mathematics degree programs in the past century.-Early life:One of six children, he was...
. Known as the Potsdam Miracle, Stephens transformed a practically non-existent department to having the third largest number of mathematics majors of any institution in the United States during his tenure.
The college has a total enrollment of approximately 4,500 students and approximately 930 freshmen entered Potsdam in 2010. That is the biggest first-year class since 1982, and an 11.4 percent increase over last year’s incoming freshman class, which had 835 students.
Campus
The campus is located in the small village of Potsdam, near the United States-Canadian border. It is situated in the St. Lawrence Valley, between the St. Lawrence River and the foothills of the Adirondack MountainsAdirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
. It is located about 10 miles northwest of the border of the Adirondack State Park
Adirondack State Park
The Adirondack Park is a publicly protected area in northeast New York. It is the largest park and the largest state-level protected area in the contiguous United States, and the largest National Historic Landmark....
in Parishville
Parishville, New York
Parishville is a town in the east-central part of St. Lawrence County, east of Potsdam, in the state of New York, United States. The population was 2,049 at the 2000 census.- History :...
.
The school sits on 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) and consists of 44 buildings. Barrington Drive runs through the center of the campus, with all academic buildings on the northwest side of the street, and all campus life and residence buildings on the southeast side. The Crane School of Music campus is located in the northern part of the campus, east of the academic quad.
The college has two libraries, the Frederick W. Crumb Memorial Library in the center of the academic quad, and the Crane Music Library, located in Schuette Hall at the Crane complex. The college also has six performance facilities, The College Theater and the Black Box, both of which are in Satterlee hall, and the dance studio in Dunn Hall, plus three that serve the Crane School, an art gallery, and the Maxcy Hall Athletic Facility.
Athletics
In 1981 and 1986, under Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Welsh, the Potsdam Bears basketball team won the NCAA Division III National Championship. In 1979, 1982, and 1982, the Potsdam Bears were national runners up for this title. The SUNY-Potsdam men's ice hockey team has competed in the NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
for 27 years, from 1976 to the present. Most recently they played in the State University of New York Athletic Conference
State University of New York Athletic Conference
The State University of New York Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division III athletics conference consisting of schools in the State University of New York system...
, which is a Division III athletics conference.
SUNY Potsdam athletics were recently placed in NCAA probation due to an inadvertent error in the awarding of international student grants was noticed. The teams affected by the NCAA are the Men's and Women's hockey teams, Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, and the Women's Soccer team.
ROTC
Many SUNY Potsdam students participate in the Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC programs. Students can apply for ROTC scholarships to the university, and may commission as officers in the United States military upon graduation.Army ROTC
SUNY Potsdam is a partner school of the Golden Knight Battalion, one of 272 Army ROTC Battalions in the United States. SUNY Potsdam students are the second largest group represented in the battalion, which is composed of approximately 100 ROTC Cadets. The headquarters for the Golden Knight Battalion is at 16 Elm St. in downtown Potsdam, where it has been located for decades.Notable faculty emeriti and alumni
- Clarence F. StephensClarence F. StephensClarence F. Stephens was the ninth African American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. He is credited with inspiring students and faculty at SUNY Potsdam to form the most successful United States undergraduate mathematics degree programs in the past century.-Early life:One of six children, he was...
(Professor Emeritus), mathematics educator. - Brock McElheranBrock McElheranBrock McElheran was a conductor and professor at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and a published author. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba....
(Professor Emeritus), conductor and author. - David J. HansonDavid J. HansonDavid Justin Hanson is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the State University of New York in Potsdam, New York. He has researched the subject of alcohol and drinking for over 30 years, beginning with his PhD dissertation investigation, and has written widely on the subject.Hanson is often...
(Professor Emeritus), alcohol researcher. - Robert Washburn (Professor Emeritus), composer, author and educator.
- Arthur FrackenpohlArthur FrackenpohlArthur Frackenpohl is an American composer and Professor Emeritus at the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam....
(Professor Emeritus), composer and author. - T. Coraghessan BoyleT. Coraghessan BoyleTom Coraghessan Boyle is a U.S. novelist and short story writer. Since the mid 1970s, he has published twelve novels and more than 100 short stories...
, author. - Renée FlemingRenée FlemingRenée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
, opera singer, soprano. - Stephanie BlytheStephanie BlytheStephanie Blythe is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer.-Biography:Blythe graduated from Monticello High School in 1987 and the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam in 1992. She was the recipient of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award in 1999...
, opera singer, mezzo-soprano. - Dmitri Pittas, opera singer, tenor.
- Chuck LorreChuck LorreChuck Lorre is a writer, director, producer and composer who has created many American sitcoms, including Grace Under Fire, Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory...
, director, producer. - Lisa VromanLisa VromanLisa Vroman is an American lyric soprano and stage actress. She graduated from South Jefferson Central School in New York State in 1975, the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam in 1979, and she did her graduate work at Carnegie Mellon University....
, singer and stage actress, soprano. - Ernest BloodErnest BloodErnest A. Blood was a high school and college men's basketball coach...
, basketball coach, enshrined in the Basketball Hall of FameBasketball Hall of FameThe Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide... - Tim WelshTim WelshTim Welsh is an American college basketball coach and the former head basketball coach at Providence College. Previously, he served as the head coach at Iona College...
, former head basketball coach at Providence CollegeProvidence CollegeProvidence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic... - Mike DeaneMike DeaneMike Deane was most recently head basketball coach at Wagner College. He was relieved of his duties on 3/1/2010. He previously held the same position at Siena College, Marquette University, and Lamar University. Michael Deane recorded his 400th career victory on December 15, 2007 against the...
, former Division 1 head basketball coach - C. J. RappC. J. RappC.J. Rapp is an American beverage inventor best known for inventing and marketing high-caffeine Jolt Cola.In 1985, C. J. Rapp developed Jolt Cola, which contains 72 milligrams of caffeine, which is the maximum amount permitted by the US Food and Drug Administration. He attended McQuaid Jesuit High...
, entrepreneur and beverage executive (creator of Jolt ColaJolt ColaJolt Cola was a carbonated soft drink produced by Wet Planet Beverages. It was created in 1985 by C. J. Rapp as a highly caffeinated cola. It is targeted towards students and young professionals, stressing its use as a stimulant in a similar manner as energy drinks...
). - David ValeskyDavid ValeskyDavid J. Valesky is a member of the New York State Senate and the Vice President Pro Tempore of the State Senate.He is a Democrat representing the mostly rural 49th Senate District, which encompasses the city of Rome in Oneida County, all of Madison County, eastern and southern Onondaga County,...
, politician and member of the New York State SenateNew York State SenateThe New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
. - Patricia Ritchie, politician and member of the New York State SenateNew York State SenateThe New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
. - Marc ButlerMarc ButlerMarc W. Butler is a Republican member of the New York State Assembly for the 117th Assembly District, which includes Herkimer County, Fulton County and the northeastern portion of Otsego County....
, politician and member of the New York State AssemblyNew York State AssemblyThe New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
. - Stephen SavoiaStephen SavoiaStephan Savoia is a photographer for the Associated Press. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for feature photography for the collection of photographs of the key players and events stemming from President Bill Clinton's affair with...
, two-time Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning photographer. - Eileen WhelleyEileen WhelleyEileen Whelley is the executive vice president of human resources for NBC Universal. She manages human resources and talent negotiations for Entertainment, Cable, News, MSNBC, CNBC, and NBC Television Network Groups as well as the Corporate Staff functions....
, Executive Vice President for Human Resources at The Hartford Financial Group. - Daniel DeckerDaniel DeckerDaniel Decker is a Puerto Rican - American composer, singer and recording artist known for his unique blending of musical influences from around the globe and infusing them into his own works....
, Composer and recording artist. - Daniel SchaeferDaniel SchaeferDaniel "Dan" Schaefer was a Republican U.S. Representative from Colorado from 1983 to 1999. He represented a suburban district that stretched from Denver to the southwest....
, politician, former U.S. Representative from Colorado. - Stanley KunitzStanley KunitzStanley Jasspon Kunitz was an American poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress twice, first in 1974 and then again in 2000.-Biography:...
, former U.S. poet laureatePoet LaureateA poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
. - William Buell RichardsWilliam Buell RichardsSir William Buell Richards, PC, Kt was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.Richards was born in Brockville, Upper Canada to Stephen Richards and Phoebe Buell. He earned law degree at the St. Lawrence Academy in Potsdam, New York and then articled with his uncle Andrew Norton...
, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada - Jerome Simon Socolof, contestant on TV show Jeopardy.
- Melissa Wegner, contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
- John G. "Jerry" Welsh (Athletic Director Emeritus), Two Time National Division III basketball Coach of the Year.
- Daniel J. Caffrey,
- Jodie Schoppmann, All American runner, and qualifier for the 2012 USA Olympic Marathon Trials
- Kai Zheng, Level designer at Electronic ArtsElectronic ArtsElectronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
- Joy TannerJoy TannerJoy Tanner is an American-born Canadian actress, who is known for her portrayal of Nora McDonald in the Canadian TV series Life with Derek.-Career:Born in Rochester, New York, Tanner has her honors B.A...
, Actress (Degrassi: TNG and Life With Derek)
In pop culture
- The university was mentioned in the American comedy TV series Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, in its 86th episode ("Dyeing Is Easy, Comedy Is Hard") guest starring Rosie O'DonnellRosie O'DonnellRoseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
.
Potsdam Miracle
The Potsdam Miracle refers to the unusual success of the MathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
Department at SUNY Potsdam, USA, under the guidance of Dr. Clarence F. Stephens
Clarence F. Stephens
Clarence F. Stephens was the ninth African American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. He is credited with inspiring students and faculty at SUNY Potsdam to form the most successful United States undergraduate mathematics degree programs in the past century.-Early life:One of six children, he was...
, in attracting large numbers of students to become successful mathematics majors. For example, in one year, about 25% of the degrees conferred by Potsdam were in mathematics and over 40% of the institution’s honor students
Honors student
An honors student is a person recognized for achieving high grades or high marks in their course work.Honors students may refer to# Students recognized for their academic achievement on lists published periodically throughout the school year, known as honor rolls, varying from school to school, and...
were mathematics majors. The 184 majors in that year was the third largest number of colleges and universities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Seven of the eight valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
s for the period 1980–1987 were mathematics majors. No student who graduated from SUNY Potsdam between the time of its founding in 1816 and the arrival of Stephens in 1969 is known to have subsequently earned a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in mathematics. However, twelve students who graduated during Stephens's tenure are known to have done so, half of them women.
The Potsdam Miracle confirmed the effectiveness of the Potsdam Model of mathematics education. The model is based not on lowering student standard but in raising teaching standards.
In explaining the program in Dilip Datta's book Math Education at its Best: The Potsdam Model, Dr. Stephens said that his primary goal was to create the most favorable possible conditions for students to learn and for faculty to teach. He and a team of other student-oriented faculty members taught a course, "How to Read Mathematics Literature with Understanding and to Become Independent Learners," to students early in their study of mathematics. For undergraduates that was typically in the freshman or sophomore year, while for graduate students it was during their first year.
The Potsdam Model is “based on the premise that the study of pure mathematics can be undertaken successfully by a large number of students if they are provided with a supportive environment including: careful and considerate teaching by a well-trained and dedicated faculty, continual encouragement, successful (student) role models, enough success to develop self-esteem, enough time to develop intellectually, recognition of their achievement, and the belief that the study is a worthwhile endeavor.”
Stephens had largely developed his ideas and earlier implemented them at Morgan State College (now Morgan State University
Morgan State University
Morgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...
). Although no graduates of Morgan are known to have ever received a Ph.D. in mathematics, nine did so during his tenure there. Hence, the Potsdam Model is sometimes called the Morgan-Potsdam Model.
External links
- Official website
- Discover Potsdam NY
- SUNY Potsdam Student Government Association
- The Racquette
- WAIH 90.3 FM
Sources
- Gung Hu Award Citations and Responses
- Clarence F. Stephens
- The Morgan-Potsdam Model and the Potsdam Miracle
- Datta,Dilip. Math Education at its Best: The Potsdam Model. Framingham, MA: Center for Teaching/Learning of Mathematics, 1993.
- Spencer, Armand. On attracting and retaining mathematics majors-Don't cancel the human factor, Notices American Mathematical Society, 1995, 42(8), 859-862