SUNY New Paltz - Science Building

Funding for the $48 million Science Hall, a modern, two-story building designed to support the College’s burgeoning enrollments in the STEM fields, was secured with support from Senator Bonacic and Assembly member Cahill. “This institution has a wonderful reputation for learning, empowering students and preparing them for the global economy,” said Senator Bonacic. “The students here are very fortunate to have a new facility and an environment that will enable them to learn and be the best they can be.”

The first new academic building on the New Paltz campus in nearly 20 years, the approximatelly 80,000-square-foot building connects the College and the Village of New Paltz as a gateway to campus and a recognizable first impression for visitors. “This is a place where people can come for the intergenerational transfer of values,” said Assembly member Cahill. “That is a signature of this campus, and this building is important to that mission, as are the students who will take courses here and the faculty members who will work here.”

Science Hall is designed with a slate exterior that pays homage to the rooftops of Historic Huguenot homes built here in the 17th and 18th centuries. The building is constructed to LEED Silver Certification standards for sustainable design and construction from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The floor of the lobby is inlaid with fossils from archeological sites in Wyoming’s Green River Formation, which date back a bit further than the Huguenots: about 50 million years. Science Hall is home to offices for the Dean of Science & Engineering, Computer Science, Geology, Physics and Astronomy, Geography, and the AC2 program, which supports students from underrepresented backgrounds pursuing degrees in STEM disciplines at New Paltz.