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The SUNY New Paltz Foundation, a separate 501(c)3 founded in 1976, distributes funds that support student success and enhance the life of the College. No fees are taken out of gifts to the Foundation: 100% of donations goes to the programs and scholarships donors support. Virtually every area of the College benefits and has been enhanced—from engineering equipment to productions in McKenna Theatre, educational programming at the Dorsky Museum to Bloomberg Terminal leases at the School of Business. The Foundation fosters innovation and creativity across the entire campus.
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We connect prospective donors with causes and programs that matter to them. For example, two generous alumni established the Robert Kyncl ’95 and Luz Avila Kyncl ’96 STEM Scholarship and Experiential Learning Funds, supporting scholarships to address the tech industry’s need for more scientists and engineers from underrepresented backgrounds. With the vision and generosity of alumna and SUNY New Paltz Foundation Board director Myra (Rosenberg) Kressner ’76, the Kressner Family Autism Spectrum Disorder Program Fund now benefits students with ASD as they transition into college, then to employment.
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We work with other departments to help students when they encounter unpredictable hardship. The new Student Crisis Fund, launched in partnership with the Office of Student Affairs, provides one-time microgrants to students facing emergencies and in search of help with things like essential academic needs, short-term housing, and replacement of personal items. Other emergency funds include the Crossing the Finish Line scholarship and the College Council Student Retention Fund, all of which help students to stay enrolled and to graduate.
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The department also organizes (with Foundation funding) annual events that benefit the whole campus, such as the Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS), Women’s Leadership Summit, and the Hudson Valley Future Summit, among others. The Women’s Leadership Summit brings dozens of prominent alumnae and thought leaders to campus to discuss career strategies with hundreds of students. DSS speakers have included Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Cory Booker, Nell Irvin Painter, and Janus Adams '67. Through the support of our annual fund, the Fund for New Paltz, these events are all free to students and, as often as possible, open to the public.
