• Fall 2014 Fact Sheet

Hudson Valley Community College serves approximately 13,000 students each semester, and employs more than 650 full- and part-time faculty members. Currently the second-largest institution of higher learning in the Capital Region of New York State, Hudson Valley Community College offers more than 75 degree and certificate programs through its four schools: Business; Engineering & Industrial Technologies; Health Sciences; and Liberal Arts and Sciences. 22 degree and certificates are offered in an online format.

Eight out of ten Hudson Valley students come from the immediate Capital Region, and the rest come from across New York State and many other states and foreign countries. The college ranks 63rd (as of the 2011-2012 academic year) nationally in the number of associate degrees awarded annually, and has more than 75,000 alumni.

Founded in 1953, the college is sponsored by Rensselaer County and is one of 30 community colleges that are part of the State University of New York system. The college, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2013, is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees, which is appointed by the Governor (4), the Rensselaer County Legislature (5), and elected from among the student body (1).

Accreditation
The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. All of Hudson Valley's programs are registered and approved by the New York State Department of Education. In addition, several of the academic programs are accredited by specialized national professional accrediting associations, such as the National League for Nursing, the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships, the National Association for Education of Young Children, the American Board of Funeral Service Education and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Academics
The college's Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) and Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) programs lead to immediate employment in industry, business, government and health agencies. The college's Associate in Arts (A.A.) and Associate in Science (A.S.) programs prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. In addition, the college sponsors a number of certificate programs that can be completed in one year to prepare students for selected occupational specialties.

Hudson Valley has more than 350 transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities. 130 faculty and staff have earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.

Hudson Valley also offers an Honors Advisement Track known as the HonorScholar program, which includes specialized liberal arts curriculum and is designed to prepare students for transfer to higher-level baccalaureate programs. Students who successfully complete the program receive Completion of Honors Study documentation upon graduation.

The college’s Workforce Development Institute coordinates customized training for many area businesses and government agencies and its Office of Community and Professional Education offers a wide variety of non-credit and short-term courses that serve a wide range of community and professional needs and interests.

Facilities
The 120-acre campus provides extensive facilities to support its academic programs, including the new 100,000-square-foot Science Center that houses laboratory and classroom space for the college’s science programs and supports degree offerings in biological sciences, biotechnology, physical science and environmental science.

Other facilities on campus include the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, the recently renovated Marvin Library Learning Commons, the Teaching Gallery, the Maureen Stapleton Theatre, and the McDonough Sports Complex, a 126,000-square-foot recreational facility that contains a field house and the ice rink.

The TEC-SMART facility in Malta, which the college opened in 2010, features more than a dozen state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories to train the workforce in semiconductor manufacturing and green technologies, including photovoltaic, home energy efficiency, geothermal, alternative fuels and wind energy. Business and Liberal Arts courses are offered at TEC-SMART and also at the college’s extension center in Albany at 175 Central Avenue. In total, courses are offered at 11 Capital Region locations.

Student Services
The college provides distinctive student support services to ensure success, including the Collegiate Academic Support Program, the Learning Assistance Center, the Educational Opportunity Program, the Center for Access and Assistive Technology, the Smart Start Program, and the Viking Day Care Center. Services are available to all students, whether they attend full- or part-time, or in the day or evening.

Athletics and Student Activities
The college currently offers 16 intercollegiate sports for men and women. Teams compete in Region III of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and in the Mountain Valley Conference. A range of intramural sports are offered as well.

Students can enhance their college experience by joining one of more than 50 student organizations and clubs ranging from the Habitat for Humanity Club to the Ski and Snowboard Club.

Honors
For two consecutive years, Hudson Valley has been named one of 120 high-achieving two-year institutions eligible for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The eligibility puts the college among the top ten percent of the nation’s best community colleges, according to The Aspen Institute, which offers the $1 million prize. The college also has been recognized as a Military Friendly College by GI Jobs magazine for three consecutive years.