Ulster County Community College (henceforth referred to as SUNY Ulster) is a two-year college of the State University of New York. The College offers more than 50 academic programs that prepare students for various career, academic and industry-specific credentialing opportunities.
SUNY Ulster also offers student support services including peer and professional tutoring in many disciplines, as well as career and transfer counseling, and a variety of opportunities including internships, arts programming, student clubs, and athletics.
Financial aid, including grants, scholarships, and student loans, are available to those who qualify.
Vision Statement
SUNY Ulster transforms lives by inspiring a community of lifelong learners.
Mission Statement
SUNY Ulster educates the individual and elevates the community.
Values
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Respect: Sincere regard and appreciation for all individuals, contributions, and ideas.
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Equity: Providing deliberately inclusive access, support, and opportunities for all.
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Collaboration: Respecting the expertise of campus community members, and ensuring cooperative internal and external communication.
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Excellence: Offering high-quality educational experiences and student support, with a commitment to continuous improvement.
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Innovation: Empowering creative responses to community needs to improve services and outcomes.
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Integrity: A trusting, honest, and transparent environment that prioritizes individual and institutional commitments.
SUNY Ulster’s complete Mission, Values, Vision and Goals statements are available in the SUNY Ulster Board of Trustees Policy Manual.
Institutional Goals
SUNY Ulster will:
- Serve regional needs.
- Improve student success amd completion.
- Supoort and enrich the academic portfolio.
- Increase instutional effectiveness.
Institutional Learning Outcomes
SUNY Ulster has established a set of Institutional Learning Outcomes, which guide and inform all of its academic, student, administrative and community endeavors, services and responsibilities. The institution holds itself accountable to these outcomes, assesses its success in achieving them, and uses this information to continuously pursue growth and improvement.
When a student graduates from the College, he/she will be competent in the following learning and thinking skills:
- Communication and Expression. Students are able to research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details. They will demonstrate coherent college‐level communication (written and oral) that informs, persuades, or otherwise engages with an audience. Students will also evaluate communication for substance, bias, and intended effect. They will also demonstrate the ability to revise and improve written and oral communication.
- Information Literacy. Students will locate information effectively using tools appropriate to their need and discipline. They will evaluate information with an awareness of authority, validity, and bias. Students will also demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of information use, creation, and dissemination.
- Quantitative and Technological Literacy. Students will demonstrate mathematical skills, scientific reasoning, and quantitative reasoning to address problems. They will understand methods of collecting data, interpreting data, and making inferences/drawing conclusions about data. Students will demonstrate an ability to represent information symbolically, visually, numerically, and verbally using technology and numerical data.
- Creative, Critical, and Analytical Thinking. Students will demonstrate an understanding of at least one principal form of artistic expression, including writing and communication, and the creative process inherent therein. They will clearly identify, analyze, and evaluate ideas, data, and arguments as they occur in their own or others’ work. Students will acknowledge limitations such as perspective and bias and develop well‐reasoned (logical) arguments to form judgments and/or draw conclusions.
- Community/Global Consciousness and Responsibility. Students will describe the historical and contemporary societal factors that shape the development of individual and group identity involving race, class, and gender. They will analyze the role that complex networks of social structures and systems play in the creation and perpetuation of the dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity. Students will apply the principles of rights, access, equity, and autonomous participation in past, current, or future social justice action.
The College Seal
The College seal symbolically represents the historic area in which SUNY Ulster is located and the academic aspirations of the College. The date 1961 indicates the year in which the College came into being as a legal entity by virtue of a public referendum of the citizens of Ulster County. The open book is symbolic of the importance the College places on education. The ship represents Henry Hudson’s voyage on the Half Moon, which began the era of European settlement. The sheaf of wheat emphasizes the importance of agriculture in Ulster County. The Huguenot Cross recognizes the background of the early French settlers in Ulster County. The eleven stars represent the first eleven states of the Union, with the large star representing New York State, the eleventh state of the Union. Truth from learning - Wisdom from truth - is the College motto.
Historical Background
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, many citizens of Ulster County felt a need for the development of a community college, and with the overwhelming public support expressed in a November 1961 referendum, Ulster County Community College became a legal entity. The College’s Board of Trustees met for the first time on April 15, 1962. From that date, the development of the College moved forward rapidly.
Ulster County Community College began its first academic year in September 1963. Classes were held at a temporary campus in the historic Ulster Academy Building in Kingston, NY. Two years later, 48 students received their degrees at the College’s first graduation. In 1965 ground was broken for the College’s main campus at Stone Ridge, and in 1967 the first classes were held at the new permanent location. The College has conferred in excess of 20,000 degrees and has served more than 400,000 students through its credit and noncredit offerings.
Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc.
The Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc. was formed in 1976 and incorporated in 1996 to raise community awareness and funding to assist SUNY Ulster in areas of promise and opportunity for students. The Foundation is the bridge between SUNY Ulster students, their education, and the community. The Foundation and donors provide over $400,000 annually in scholarships that include a broad spectrum of academic criteria. Since inception, more than 7,000 students have received more than $5,300,000 in scholarships. The Foundation also provides funding for cultural events, funding for technology, and support for academic program enhancements. SUNY Ulster students and alumni are encouraged to visit the Foundation website and join the alumni community of Facebook.
Student Success
Graduates from SUNY Ulster’s transfer programs consistently succeed at four-year colleges and universities with a final performance level no different from, and in many cases higher than, students who began their education at the four-year schools.
According to the most recent Graduate Follow-Up Survey, 80 percent of respondents reported that they had transferred to another institution or were employed in a field related to their education.
Student Profile
SUNY Ulster students represent a diversity of backgrounds, goals, ages, genders, cultures, abilities and ethnicities. Student enrollment by demographic is available here.
Student Right-to-Know
In compliance with the Student Right-to-Know Act of 1990, SUNY Ulster makes the completion and transfer rates of a selected group of students available to all current and prospective students. Student consumer information, including the completion and transfer rates of first-time, full-time students can be accessed on the College’s Consumer Information page .
Accreditations
SUNY Ulster is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation. Because SUNY Ulster is a unit of the State University of New York, the curricula has been approved by the SUNY Board of Trustees, and are registered with the New York State Education Department’s Office of Higher Education. The College is authorized by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York to award certificates, diplomas, and degrees of Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Applied Science and Associate of Occupational Science, Curricula are approved by the New York State Bureau of Veterans’ Education, https://veterans.ny.gov/bureau-veterans-education for the training of veterans, and the College is approved for holders of New York State scholarships.The College’s Nursing Program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), and the Veterinary Technology Program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The College’s Engineering Science Program is affiliated with the Two-Year Engineering Science Association (TYESA).
Nondiscrimination Notice
Pursuant to State University of New York policy, SUNY Ulster is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs and activities, without regard to an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the SUNY Ulster community, including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests, may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law, treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.
SUNY Ulster’s policy is in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination and harassment. These laws include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as Amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, and the New York State Human Rights Law. These laws prohibit discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Information about SUNY Ulster’s Nondiscrimination Policy, and contact information for inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and other laws, regulations and policies prohibiting discrimination is available.
Inquiries may also be directed to the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
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