State University of New York at Brockport - History

History

The College at Brockport opened as the Brockport Collegiate Institute in 1841, and later became the Brockport State Normal School in 1866.

The last Normal School class graduated in 1942 after which the school officially became a college, meaning it could grant the bachelor's degree. (Normal School graduates received only a certificate of study when they finished, which entitled them to teach in the New York State schools.) This enhancement of status was due in good part to the efforts of President Ernest Hartwell, who, like Malcolm MacVicar and many other Brockport figures, played a leading role in the education movements of the time. Starting as Brockport State Teachers College, the new school was automatically included in the new SUNY system which was established in 1948.

The years after World War II were a time of tremendous growth for higher education, as thousands of veterans went to college on the G.I. Bill. Brockport began a period of expansion in that time that was unprecedented in the school's history.

When Donald Tower became president of the school in 1944, the entire campus was what's now called Hartwell Hall. There were a few hundred students and the faculty and staff numbered under 50 people. The sole purpose of the school was to train elementary school teachers. By the time he (Tower) retired in 1964 there were several thousand students and several hundred faculty and staff members. The campus had expanded greatly, adding residence halls and a college union, and expanding across Kenyon Street and down Holley Street. The purpose and organization of the College had also grown, as it evolved into a liberal arts college with a number of master's degree programs. The first graduate degree was awarded in January 1950. By 1981, there were 1,185 graduate students enrolled in 11 different programs. Today, SUNY Brockport has more than 1,800 graduate students enrolled in 26 programs.

In the early years of President Albert Brown (1965–1981), the school's growth rate built to a height of activity, seeing the high-rise residence halls, library and other buildings rise up to make the campus that one sees today. The school continued to evolve in the last years of the 20th century under the leadership of President John Van De Wetering (1981–1997), who launched the MetroCenter, SUNY Brockport's classroom complex in downtown Rochester. During his tenure, Brockport's international education program greatly expanded to become the largest in the SUNY system and among the 10 largest in the U.S.

From 1997 to 2004, under the leadership of Paul Yu—working closely with faculty, staff and students—SUNY Brockport achieved new levels of excellence and recognition, from acquiring the latest information technologies to improving campus communications to increasing admissions standards. Brockport became recognized throughout New York and within the SUNY system both as innovative and dynamic. Noteworthy achievements included: an increase in average SAT scores from 1002 in 1998 to 1071 in 2004, increase in first-year retention rate from 71 percent in 1998 to 83 percent in 2004, and an increase in funded faculty research grants from $3.5 million in 1999 to $5.7 million in 2004.

In August 2005, Dr. John R. Halstead became the SUNY Brockport’s sixth president. Dr. Halstead brings a range of leadership experience to SUNY Brockport including a seven-year term as president of Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, several vice president positions and post-doctoral work at Harvard University's Institute of Educational Management. He has met and developed relationships with numerous government, corporate and community leaders to increase SUNY Brockport’s visibility in the region and formed partnerships to further promote student success. He was inaugurated on April 7, 2006.

There are two renowned statues on the Brockport Campus. In 1978, Dr. Albert W. Brown presented Soviet artist Zurab Tsereteli with an honorary certificate in recognition of his efforts to foster peace and understanding between people of the Soviet Union and the United States. He then was invited to teach a painting course here at SUNY Brockport. After accepting the invitation, Tsereteli learned about the Fifth International Summer Special Olympics Games, to be held here at SUNY Brockport in August 1979. He then returned to his native Republic of Georgia. Drawing inspiration from his interest in young people, his concern for Special Olympics and the realization that the United Nations had proclaimed 1979 as the International Year of the Child, Tsereteli began his work. Within a year, Tsereteli constructed two sculptures for the Soviet Government, which were then donated to SUNY Brockport in honor of the International Year of the Child and the International Special Olympics. One of the pieces is located in front of the Allen Administration Building, and is titled "Prometheus" (The Greek god who gave fire to man). The other is located in front of the Drake Memorial Library, and is titled "Joy and Happiness to All the Children of the World". The five pillars represent the five continents that would be represented at the Special Olympics Games in 1979. Tsereteli waived his usual royalties which would have amounted to $250,000 because the pieces were for children and students. The two bronze pieces, whose total weight is nearly 30 tons, were shipped overseas to the United States and then loaded into five trucks to be brought to SUNY Brockport.