Empire State College

Empire State College was designed by then SUNY Chancellor Ernest Boyer in a document titled "Prospectus for a New University College." [13] 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.

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.[14]

The Coordinating Center at Saratoga Springs, New York

Rochester, New York location

• Amy Arbus (2003), photographer[15]
• Ita Aber, artist and curator[16]
• Kenny Barron (1978), jazz pianist[17]
• Ginny Brown-Waite (1976), former US Congresswoman[18]
• Dawoud Bey (1990), photographer[19]
• Alice Fulton (1978), English professor, winner of the 1991 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship for poetry[20]
• Deborah Gregory (1986), author of Cheetah Girls[21]
• Bob Herbert (1988), New York Times columnist[22]
• Bernard Kerik (2002), former Commissioner of the New York Police Department[23]
• James J. LeCleir (1974), U.S. Air Force Major General[24]
• Steven McLaughlin, member of the New York State Assembly, County Executive of Rensselaer County, New York[25]
• Kathy Muehlemann (1978), abstract painter & professor[26]
• Elliott Murphy (1988), singer-songwriter & author[27]
• Mae Ngai (1992) historian, Columbia University[28]
• Alan Rachins (1974), television actor[29]
• Mark J.F. Schroeder (1982), New York Commissioner of Motor Vehicles[30]
• Melba Tolliver (1998), journalist, reporter, and news anchor[31]
• Herb Trimpe (1997), artist on "The Incredible Hulk" comic series[32]
• Bob Watson (1999), major league baseball player and executive[33]
• Reggie Witherspoon (1995), college basketball coach[34]
• James M. Sheppard (1999), chief of the Rochester Police Department and member of the Monroe County Legislature[35]

• University of New York, Tirana
• University of New York, Prague
• SUNY Learning Network
• Non-traditional student

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• Official website