SUNY New Paltz welcomed 1,195 new first-year students to the College during the annual moving-in day on Monday, Aug. 22. The new students were joined on Tuesday by 685 transfer students, for a total of 1,880 new students; this figure is consistent with the number of new students in prior years and in line with the College’s goal to keep enrollments stable. Lisa Jones, dean of admissions, said the class of 2015 reflects academic quality and diversity for which New Paltz is well known. Incoming students who indicate they are from diverse backgrounds and under-represented groups constitute 31 percent of the total class, an increase from 2010. For the 21st consecutive year, New Paltz had the most applications for admission (16,894) among SUNY’s comprehensive colleges.

Students of the Class of 2015 attended the 25th annual Fall Convocation at the Athletic & Wellness Center on Wednesday. The event formally introduced new students to the academic atmosphere and to the New Paltz faculty.

Professor Peter Kaufman of the Sociology Department was the featured speaker. The title of Kaufman’s Convocation Address is “Three Questions, Three Challenges, and A Bit of Advice.” Kaufman was the recipient of the 2011 Chancellor’s Award for Teaching. His ethos is that learning should be an active and organic process where the teacher is the catalyst for learning.

“It is a great honor for me to deliver the Convocation lecture,” Kaufman said.” I know the beginning of the school year is filled with so many mixed emotions -- excitement, anticipation, nervousness. I hope my brief lecture will fuel the students' excitement and allay some of their fears.”