Our History

 

 

Wow, we're more than 50 years old!

We're old enough to know but still young enough to have fun.
Looking back, much has changed at SUNY Ulster but our focus on serving our students and community is unwavering. 

young men hanging out in front of a building

It all started on a temporary campus in the historic Ulster Academy Building in Kingston, NY in 1963.

Our first class of less than 50 students graduated two years later. Since then, SUNY Ulster has conferred more than 14,000 degrees and has served over 400,000 students through its credit and noncredit courses.

black and white photo of people dressed formally in 1960s, one with a shovel

We broke ground for our first four buildings in 1965...

Our main campus in Stone Ridge was selected from some 28 sites in Ulster County. Located on 165-acres of former farmlands and fields donated by the Leggett and Davenport families, you'll still see the apple trees as you enter the main entrance.
 
 
newspaper clipping of students on opening day 1965

and held our first classes in 1967.

Located on 165-acres of former farmlands and fields donated by the Leggett and Davenport families, you'll still see the apple trees as you enter the main entrance.

black and white pic of students on stage in play

In the early 1970s,

Phase II of the campus development plan began and provided another 103,000-square-foot of space for classrooms, labs, facilities for physical education and health, and areas devoted to the arts and theater. The Ulster County Community College Foundation was established in 1976.
 
 
80s brick building

The early 1980s

brought the Mid-Hudson Region Small Business Development Center to SUNY Ulster's campus, sponsored by the NY State Small Business Administration. In 1995, we opened our satellite location and Business Resource Center in Kingston, bringing the convenience of a one-stop shop for business development, education and training to the area.

happy diverse students on campus

Moving into the Future

Over the decades, new academic programs have been introduced to address the education and training needs of emerging careers, and to meet the 21st Century needs of our students and the Hudson Valley workforce.

Our campus facilities and technology have continuously been updated to support our educational programs. And new options for online and distance learning are always evolving here.

We will continue to grow in the years ahead. As part of our updated Master Plan, we plan on spending $30 million over the next five to six years. Partial funding is in place from both the State of New York and Ulster County to initiate building additions, and upgrade a number of classrooms and computer and science laboratories on our Stone Ridge campus.