The Benjamin Center
- The Benjamin Center designs, conducts, manages, and produces studies on regional issues or concerns, including government/politics, education, agriculture, economics, criminal justice, and a host of other regional concerns.
- Team members possess highly specialized skills and have access to a pool of experts from a multitude of academic fields. Center staff members have received regional, state, and national recognition for their work.
- The Center helps government do government efficiently.
- Student learning opportunities include internships, field work, scholarships, and research partnerships, through which student workers gain research skills and are exposed to the needs and solutions for non-profit governmental programs nationwide. Many students pursue graduate programs in research and public planning, while others enter the workforce.
- The program began in the 1970s, making it one of the oldest such programs in the SUNY system. Faculty members are well rounded and come from several different disciplines including history, economics, and sociology.
- The Center’s director, Gerald Benjamin, is considered one of New York’s foremost experts on state politics. He has served in numerous government and academic positions, including director of the Center for New York State and Local Government Studies at SUNY Albany; directory of the Commission on Constitutional Revision under former Gov. Mario Cuomo; principal research advisor to a New York City Charter Revision Committee; and a member of the Ulster County Legislature, among others. A former U.S. Army captain, Benjamin is frequently sought by media outlets for his expertise on matters of state government and policy.
