Amount Requested: $535,000
The college currently has a 40-year-old Spitz projector that is minimally functional. With these requested funds, it would purchase a new opto-mechanical projector. These projectors have a 40-year shelf life; less expensive projectors last only seven years. The opto-mechanical projectors are much more sophisticated and flexible and would allow our students to create shows for their coursework and for visitors.

In an effort to attract young people to the fields of science, mathematics and technology, the college has refurbished its planetarium to become a centerpiece of the college’s community outreach and recruitment efforts. The need for more Americans to study in these fields is critical to our global competitiveness as a nation. A properly functioning planetarium will serve as a unique intellectual offering for Hudson Valley residents and visitors and will enable the college to develop a Bachelors Degree in Astronomy. The facility will also be a valuable resource in the development of elementary and secondary school science teachers and will provide excellent in-service opportunities for existing science teachers. Having already renovated the planetarium room, the college only requires the funds for a new projector to complete the overhaul and make this a state-of-the-art facility.

SUNY New Paltz has had a planetarium facility since the construction of Coykendall Science Building in the 1960s. It was typically used for astronomy courses in our General Education curriculum as well as for public showings for local school groups and the public. Because of a fire, the planetarium was unusable for about 12 years in the 1990s, and has not been used optimally since. We currently have a 40-year-old Spitz projector that is minimally functional. In addition to the planetarium, the college recently received a generous bequest ($300,000) to build a new observatory. With a revitalized planetarium and a campus observatory, plus the addition of a tenure-track faculty line to the School of Science and Engineering, the college would be ready to launch a Bachelor’s of Art degree in Astronomy. This program will be intended as a liberal arts degree, with the following properties:  It will be the only program in the state of its kind, and surely one of the few in the country.