The
State University of New York at Plattsburgh (also known as
SUNY Plattsburgh or
Plattsburgh State
University) is a public liberal arts university in
Plattsburgh, New York. Plattsburgh State was founded in
1889 and offers degree programs primarily at the Bachelor's level, in over 60 areas of
study. The university is home to approximately 6,000 students and about 300 faculty members.SUNY Plattsburgh is located between the city center and the suburban neighborhoods in the southwest of the town. Before
becoming a four-year college of the State
University of New York, Plattsburgh was a teachers' college and a nursing school. Today, it maintains both of these in the
form of a well-regarded education department and a nursing program offered separately from the four-year degree.In addition to nursing and education, Plattsburgh State University is notable for its pioneering environmental studies
program, its national championship hockey team, and its large art museum. PSU was the first college in the SUNY system to offer an environmental studies program, popular with the many students who choose to attend
Plattsburgh for its proximity to the mountains and lake. The Men's Hockey team is a perennial powerhouse in the NCAA's division III, and has won the national championship title several times. The Plattsburgh
State Art Museum includes the Rockwell Kent Gallery (repository of the bulk of the work of American painter Rockwell Kent), a large open-air sculpture park, and a number of works by
well-known artists such as a Picasso and Rodin. The college also offers an extensive Canadian
Studies program. 1,200 students, approximately 20 percent of the undergraduate population of Plattsburgh, have taken Canadian
Studies courses—the highest percentage of any college in the United States.