Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a401a031e96fc60e

Jump to content

Buffalo State University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Buffalo State)

State University of New York Buffalo State University
Former name
List
    • Buffalo Normal School (1871–1888)
    • State Normal and Training School (1888–1927)
    • State Teachers College at Buffalo (1928–1946)
    • New York State College for Teachers at Buffalo (1946–1950)
    • SUNY, New York State College for Teachers (1950–1951)
    • State University College for Teachers at Buffalo (1951–1959)
    • State University College of Education at Buffalo (1960–1961)
    • State University College at Buffalo (1961–2023)
MottoDedicated to Excellence
TypePublic university
EstablishedSeptember 13, 1871; 155 years ago (1871-09-13)
Parent institution
State University of New York
Academic affiliations
CUMU
ChancellorJohn B. King Jr.
PresidentBonita R. Durand
ProvostAmitra Wall
Students6,095 (fall 2025)[1]
Undergraduates5,196 (fall 2025)
Postgraduates899 (fall 2025)
Location
Buffalo, New York
,
U.S.
Campus
Colors
  • Burnt orange, purple, warm gray, and cool gray[2]
  •        
NicknameBengals
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division III, SUNYAC, Liberty League
MascotBenji the Bengal
Websitebuffalostate.edu
Map

The State University of New York Buffalo State University[3] (also referred to as SUNY Buffalo State University or Buffalo State University) is a public university in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

The institution was originally founded in 1871 as the Buffalo Normal School to train teachers. It offers 79 undergraduate majors with 11 honors options, 11 post baccalaureate teacher certification programs, and 64 graduate programs.[4] It was formerly known as the State University College at Buffalo (then branded as the Buffalo State College) before the 2023 status change.[5]

History

[edit]

Buffalo State was founded in 1871 as the Buffalo Normal School before becoming the State Normal and Training School (1888–1927), the State Teachers College at Buffalo (1928–1946), the New York State College for Teachers at Buffalo (1946–1950), SUNY, New York State College for Teachers (1950–1951), the State University College for Teachers at Buffalo (1951–1959), the State University College of Education at Buffalo (1960–1961), State University College at Buffalo (1961), and SUNY Buffalo State University in 2023.[5][6]

Eighty-six students attended the Buffalo Normal School on the first day of classes on September 13, 1871. The school's purpose was to provide a uniform training program for teachers to serve Buffalo's fast-growing public school population. Curricular offerings now include more than 250 undergraduate and graduate programs.

The WWII years were another time of growth for the college; in 1944, the now renowned Special Education program was founded and in 1948, the first dormitory building was erected where the present-day Moot Hall is located. In 1961, Buffalo State was the first institution in the SUNY system to offer a study-abroad program, a semester-long immersion program in Siena, Italy. International study programs now include international exchange and study-abroad programs in Australia, Canada, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

In 1964, the Buffalo State University Planetarium opened its doors with a 24-foot dome. On November 17, 1978, a fire destroyed the facility but the community's generosity allowed it to reopen on April 18, 1980. In April 1982, it was renamed the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium in honor of its greatest benefactor. In January 2013, the planetarium hosted a closing ceremony that highlighted its 48-year history. In 2015, a donation allowed the planetarium to reopen with a temporary 20-foot inflatable fulldome system. The new 35-foot dome facility is now open in the Science And Mathematics Complex.

Campus

[edit]
Elmwood entrance
Bengal Walk and main quad

Buffalo State has 29 buildings including student centers, academic buildings, athletics buildings, office buildings, and residence halls. Buffalo State is undergoing a $350 million campus-wide improvement project. In 2011, a $45 million Student Apartment Complex opened on the west side of campus. It is Buffalo State's largest addition to campus student housing since the early 1970s.[7]

Academics

[edit]
Buffalo State graduation in 1997

Buffalo State has 79 undergraduate majors with 11 honors options and 64 opportunities for graduate study, including 11 teacher certification programs. Fifty-one faculty members have been awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, and seven have been honored as SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professors.[8]

More than 80 percent of all classes at Buffalo State have fewer than 40 students. Classes for undergraduate majors usually have between 12 and 15 students.[9] As of 2026, Buffalo State faculty and professional staff members have been awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence over 200 times.[10]

Schools

[edit]

Buffalo State is composed of the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education and Applied Professions

Programs and centers

[edit]

Programs available at Buffalo State that are not offered at any other SUNY institution include adult education, applied economics, art conservation, communication design, creativity, fashion and textile technology, fiber design, forensic chemistry, metal/jewelry design, higher education administration, urban and regional planning, and wood/furniture design. Buffalo State was the first school in the world to grant a master of science in creativity.[citation needed] The university also now offers an undergraduate minor in Creative Studies.[11] Both programs are offered through the International Center for Studies in Creativity, which is housed on campus. Buffalo State has 12 centers promoting growth and excellence.

Others include:

Aerial view

Student life

[edit]
Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023[13]
Race and ethnicity Total
White 45%
 
Black 30%
 
Hispanic 13%
 
Asian 7%
 
Two or more races 4%
 
American Indian/Alaska Native 1%
 
Economic diversity
Low-income[a] 54%
 
Affluent[b] 46%
 

Demographics

[edit]

There are 8,082 undergraduates and 1,036 graduate students enrolled.[14] The undergraduate population (Fall 2018) was 43 percent male and 57 percent female. The overall admission rate of new students (2016) was 62 percent.[15]

United Students Government

[edit]

United Students Government (USG) represents the student body in campus governance and helps administrate student activities and organizations. USG provides activities, services, and student representation at Buffalo State. USG is headed by an executive branch of students elected each year along with a judicial branch and senate elected at the same time. USG manages and disperses money provided by the mandatory student activity fee to the many organizations and clubs on campus.

Athletics

[edit]

Buffalo State's sports teams are known as the Bengals. Buffalo State competes in 16 varsity sports within NCAA Division III.

Club sports

[edit]

Buffalo State also has four club sports funded by the United Students Government (USG): Pom Dance, rowing, men's rugby, and women's rugby.[16]

Greek life

[edit]
Cock-a-doodle-doo (1981) sculpture by Billie Lawless in front of Upton Hall

Buffalo State has an Inter-Greek Association to support the operation of fraternities and sororities on campus. There are 14 fraternities and sororities recognized at Buffalo State.[17]

Media

[edit]
  • WBNY-FM 91.3 (MHz), student-run radio station
  • The Record, the student-run newspaper, was published every Wednesday. It ceased being a print publication in 2016 and became online only starting in 2017.
  • The Lens, an art, culture, and literary magazine
  • 1300 Elmwood, magazine for alumni and friends, published biannually
    Burchfield-Penney Art Center

Art

[edit]

The campus's Burchfield Penney Art Center, founded in 1966, moved to its new $33 million facility in 2008. The Burchfield Penney features the work of Western New York artists and houses one of the world's largest collections of work by watercolorist Charles E. Burchfield (1893–1967). The historic Buffalo AKG Art Museum, which showcases modern and contemporary art, is located across the street from the campus. Students can purchase discount passes in the Student Union. There are also a number of other art galleries[18] nearby.

Notable people

[edit]

Buffalo State has 100,000 alumni living in 119 countries throughout the world. Ninety-seven percent live in the United States, and 71 percent live in New York State. The five most popular majors among alumni were elementary education (15,538), art education (4,249), exceptional education (4,180), business studies (3,979), and criminal justice (3,911).

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  2. ↑ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "SUNY Enrollment". State University of New York. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "Buffalo State – Visual Identity Program". buffalostate.edu. 2013. Archived from the original on November 20, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Memorandum – December 5, 2023" (PDF). The State University of New York. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
  4. ↑ "Academics | SUNY Buffalo State College". suny.buffalostate.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  5. 1 2 buffalostate.edu (2009). "Buffalo State College Guidelines" (PDF). Buffalo State College. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Buffalo State Formally Recognized as a University". SUNY Buffalo State College. 2023-01-10. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  7. ↑ Kline, Allissa (September 27, 2010). "Growth spurt at Buffalo State". Buffalo Law Journal. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ "About | SUNY Buffalo State College". suny.buffalostate.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  9. ↑ "State University of New York College at Buffalo Facility Profile" (PDF). SUNY.edu. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Previous SUNY Award Recipients | Academic Affairs | SUNY Buffalo State University". academicaffairs.buffalostate.edu. Retrieved 2026-08-14.
  11. ↑ "Undergraduate Programs – SUNY Buffalo State". suny.buffalostate.edu. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  12. ↑ "nutrient stoichiometry and lake budgets". Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  13. ↑ "College Scorecard: SUNY Buffalo State University". College Scorecard. United States Department of Education. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  14. ↑ Buffalo State College at a Glance. "Buffalo State at a Glance". Archived from the original on 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  15. ↑ collegesofdistinction.com (2015). "Colleges of Distinction Profile: Buffalo State College". Colleges of Distinction. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Club Sports". Buffalo State USG. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  17. ↑ "List of Recognized Fraternities and Sororities". Buffalo State. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Buffalo Niagara Art Itinerary, Albright Knox Gallery & More". Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  19. ↑ About us: President's bio: Muriel A. Howard, Ph.D. Archived 2014-02-26 at the Wayback Machine, AASCU – American Association of Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC, 2013, Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  20. ↑ Vice president at UB will head Buffalo State, Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY: Berkshire Hathaway, December 12, 1995, Brady, K., Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  21. ↑ Muriel A. Howard – working for a better community, Living Prime Time, December 2000, Binder, J., Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  22. ↑ Kaiser, Laurie (March 21, 2012). "Alumni Profile: Sylvia Hyman". Buffalo State College. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
[edit]

42°56′05″N 78°53′02″W / 42.9347°N 78.8839°W / 42.9347; -78.8839

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buffalo_State_University&oldid=1375709140"