Changing Landscapes

It is funny how alumni often learn more about their college in the years after graduation than during the time on campus. Reflecting on how some things change and others stay the same is a part of staying connected to the campus. The Potsdam campus has changed significantly since its humble beginnings in 1816 as a one-room academy with just one teacher and 42 students.

Originally known as the St. Lawrence Academy, the school became one of the state’s original six State Normal Schools in 1866, preparing teachers for public education. Potsdam Normal School had a rich history of music, hiring its first music teacher in 1833. Eventually, Potsdam Normal School established the first teaching course in the United States for public school music teachers under Julia Etta Crane.

The Potsdam Normal School changed names several times in the mid- and late-20th century, beginning with the State Teachers College at Potsdam in 1942, the State University of New York College at Potsdam in 1948, the State University College of Education at Potsdam in 1959, the State University College at Potsdam in 1961, and the State University of New York College of Arts and Sciences in the mid-1980s.

Today, the college is known by its formal name as the State University of New York at Potsdam. It is one of 64 units of the SUNY system, one of 13 SUNY Arts and Sciences colleges and one of only three campuses in SUNY designated as an arts campus.

The modern campus began taking shape in the early 1950s, with completion of four new buildings—Merritt, Morey, Carson and MacVicar halls—opening in 1951. Four more buildings were completed by 1960, and another 12 were constructed between 1964 and 1969. Four more buildings—including The Crane School of Music Complex—were finished by 1973, ending the physical expansion of the college for 33 years.

For the next 30-plus years, SUNY Potsdam—and much of the surrounding community—seemed to stand still. The campus and village were ostensibly timeless entities where one could revisit a decade or two later and find their way around without difficulty.

POTSDAM CAMPUS IS
TIMELESS NO MORE

This fall, SUNY Potsdam students for the first time are living in the recently constructed $7.4 million, 114-bed Town House complex located at the southeast corner of campus. The Town Houses, which were completed in August, will usher Potsdam into the 21st century, beginning a new phase of highly anticipated construction, renovation and expansion. Phase II of an additional complex is slated for occupancy in fall of 2008.

The College has received $8 million to build a natural gas cogeneration plant, which is expected to save the College more than $700,000 a year in energy costs. The College is also aggressively pursuing a large capital plan for a new academic building to provide state-of-the art performance spaces as well as additional classrooms for arts related curriculums.

A number of extensive renovations haven taken place over the summer in buildings throughout campus, including the Barrington Student Union and the F.W. Crumb Memorial Library. Several halls received fresh coats of paint, new carpeting and asbestos removal as well as upgraded equipment and technology. Even Maxcy Hall is getting a workout with updated equipment for a renovated fitness center complete with a full-time manager.

Through a generous grant from alumnus Michael Galane ’74 in tandem with Hewlett-Packard, the College received 22 desktop computers worth $20,000. The computers will be used to replace aging computers in the F. W. Crumb Memorial Library. The donation represents a fraction of Galane’s $250,000 worth of philanthropy to the College in recent years.

Even the Alumni magazine is being transformed.

A NEW PRESIDENT

This year also ushered in a new era in the College’s history, with Dr. John F. Schwaller being named president of SUNY Potsdam. Dr. Schwaller was the vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean at the University of Minnesota, Morris before joining SUNY Potsdam in the spring.

Dr. Schwaller is convinced that Potsdam is entering an exciting phase in its 190-year history.

“We’ve seen a great deal of activity on campus in recent months,” remarked Schwaller. “Completion of the Town Houses represents one of the largest improvement projects we’ve seen in more than three decades. The College is constantly transforming to keep up with changing technology and to meet the demands and needs of our current and future students. Providing support for facilities for students and student learning is our highest priority.”

The community, too, has undergone several recent changes, and more dramatic developments lie on the horizon.

Several national chain restaurants and retailers have sprung up along Route 56 north of downtown Potsdam. Walgreens is currently wrapping up construction of its first store in northern New York at the intersection of Route 56 and May Road. Potsdam’s Wal-Mart location has been a source of controversy over the last decade and a Lowe’s Home Improvement store has been in negotiations for a couple of years but has yet to be finalized. Regardless of what happens locally, one thing is certain: SUNY Potsdam will continue to transform physically, intellectually and academically to adapt to the changes the 21st century has to offer. The College has been working hard on strategies for the past five years and with a new president at the helm, SUNY Potsdam is poised to bring about significant changes to both the campus and the community.

“We need spend no more time on visioning, or re-visioning or refocusing our vision,” said President Schwaller during his opening breakfast remarks on August 24. “What remains to us now is to move the college full steam ahead.”