What's New?

Attention! Two special meetings for faculty and professional staff

Two special meetings for the faculty and professional staff have been scheduled this month. There will be a meeting for faculty and professional staff on Jan. 23 to discuss assessment. Another faculty meeting will be held on Jan. 30 to discuss standards of tenure. Both meetings will be held from 3 to 5 p.m in Lecture Center 102. For more information, contact Faculty Governance at x2891or Barbara Hardgrave at x2713.

Observance: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Please note that SUNY New Paltz observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Feb. 2, by identifying the date in the published Academic Calendar and encouraging faculty to avoid scheduling examinations on that day and to permit students who will be unable to attend classes to make up assignments missed.

Faculty are encouraged to consider the inclusion of material in their classes that will be appropriate to the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s contributions to our society.

Individual academic departments are encouraged to consider extracurricular programming in their disciplines (talks, seminars, panel discussions) relevant to that subject. Please contact the Department of Black Studies at x2760 if you are interested in obtaining information to help you with your planning.

University Police in the news

The University Police Department was featured in the Dec. 29, 2003 edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal. The front page story highlighted community policing initiatives in a section titled “Crime Beat.” The article focussed on the responsibilities of the University Police since 1999. The story also included the everincreasing visibility of University Police and their close relationship with the Village of New Paltz Police Department. More information may be found at www.poughkeepsiejournal.com.

John R. Kirk Planetarium ribbon cutting and grand re-opening ceremony: Feb. 5

The School of Science and Engineering and the Office of the President invite the campus community to attend the ribbon cutting and grand re-opening of the John R. Kirk Planetarium at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Coykendall Science Building.

Join President Steven Poskanzer and Thomas Crepet, director of the planetarium, for the ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by refreshments and a free show, “Realm of Orion: Winter Sky.”

Closed for 11 years, the planetarium has been remodeled with state-of-the-art equipment and new star shows. Features include 44 theater-style seats with a 15-degree lean, a curved dome created out of aluminum panels, 24, 35-millimeter camera carousels with six groups of four at 60 degrees, and auxiliary special effects projectors. There will be a variety of new shows, including seasonal themes, star evolution, eclipses, meteors, planets and children’s shows.

The planetarium will be open all year, and will offer approximately 100 shows per semester. For pricing and schedule information, contact Thomas Crepet at x3818.

Health Center re-opening this spring

The Student Health Center has moved back into its original home in the familiar ‘circular building’ on campus. To celebrate, the staff will host a grand re-opening at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, President Steven Poskanzer will make brief comments, as will Student Heath Services Director, Peter Haughton. In addition, there will be refreshments and a grand tour of the facility.

This renovation project included a total modernization of the original Student Health Center building, and provides the college with an up-to-date facility tailored to students’ health needs.

The new center includes a grand reception area, a triage area for assessment of medical needs and various specialized medical areas, including asthma care, general exam rooms, acute care and holding rooms. The facility will have all the necessary support areas for staff and students, such as lab and storage areas, allowing for effective on-site care to help cut down on off-campus referrals.

The renovation was designed by campus architect David Smith, coordinated by Frank Wood, and managed by Garry Nack. The project cost approximately $700,000.