State University of New York at Geneseo

State University of New York College at Geneseo

Former name	Wadsworth Normal and Training School (1867–1871) Geneseo Normal and Training School (1871–1905) Geneseo Normal School (1905–1942) Geneseo State Teachers College (1942–1948) State University of New York Teachers College at Geneseo (1948–1962)[1]
Motto	To Learn, To Search, To Serve (SUNY motto)
Type	Public liberal arts college
Established	1867 (1867)
Parent institution	State University of New York
Academic affiliations	Space-grant
President	Melinda Treadwell
Provost	Mary C. Toale
Students	4,018 (fall 2025)[2]
Undergraduates	3,943 (fall 2025)
Postgraduates	75 (fall 2025)
Location	Geneseo , New York , United States
Campus	Rural (small town) 220 acres (0.89 km2)
Colors	Blue and Gray    [3]
Nickname	Knights
Mascot	Victor E. Knight
Website	geneseo.edu

The State University of New York College at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State College or, colloquially, "Geneseo") is a public liberal arts college in Geneseo, New York, United States. It is the state's public honors college and part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The college was founded in 1867 as the "Wadsworth Normal and Training School" before it became part of the new State University of New York system as a state liberal arts college in 1948.^[4]

The initial predecessor to SUNY Geneseo opened in 1867 as the "Wadsworth Normal and Training School" through an act of the New York State Legislature. However, the legislature later changed the new college's name to the Geneseo Normal and Training School before it officially opened on September 13, 1871.^[5]

In 1962, the school adopted its current name, "State University of New York College at Geneseo". Just two years later, in 1964, the school began to offer four-year bachelor's degrees in subjects other than education.^[6]

Geneseo is a public liberal arts college with 61 undergraduate majors, 5 master's programs, and 67 interdisciplinary minors. The most popular majors, in descending order, are education, business, the social sciences, biology, and psychology.^[7]

Geneseo is part of the New York Space Grant Consortium,^[8] and is provided grants by NASA to support outer-space related research on-campus..

The current college president is Melinda Treadwell, who assumed the role on October 27, 2025.^[9]

Geneseo's acceptance rate is 54% as of 2025.^[13]

Forbes ranked SUNY Geneseo 156th out of the top 500 rated private and public colleges and universities in America for the 2024–25 report. Geneseo was also ranked 69th among public colleges and 66th in the northeast.^[14]

Geneseo has a chapter of the oldest academic honor society in the United States, Phi Beta Kappa.^[15] SUNY's four university centers already had chapters; Geneseo's establishment of a chapter is significant because it was the first (and is currently the only) of New York's thirteen state comprehensive colleges to receive the honor.^[16]

The inaugural ΦΒΚ class was inducted to Geneseo's Alpha-Gamma of New York chapter in April 2004.^[15]

The following are the academic or administrative buildings on-campus. Most buildings are named after notable figures in the college's history.

• Bailey Hall
• Blake Hall (Wings A, B, and C)
• Brodie Fine Arts Building
• Doty Administrative Building
• Erwin Administrative Building
• Fraser Hall
• Integrated Science Center (ISC)
• Newton Hall
• South Hall
• Sturges Hall (closed for renovations as of April 2026^[17])
• Wadsworth Auditorium
• Welles Hall

There are three dining complexes on campus. These buildings are named after notable figures in indigenous New York's history.

• Letchworth, located in the North Village
• Mary Jemison, located in the Center Village
• Red Jacket, located in the South Village

The following are other significant buildings or locations on campus.

• College Stadium
• Milne Library
• MacVittie College Union
• Spencer J. Roemer Arboretum

At the far end of the South Village Residences, the college maintains the 20-acre (81,000 m²) Spencer J. Roemer Arboretum wherein are preserved "more than 70 species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers, including a magnificent group of oak trees which are more than 200 years old, and several black walnut trees estimated to be over 100 years old."^[18]

Greek life began at Geneseo in 1871, originally as literary societies. The college hosts several local Greek organizations along with national organizations, as is common in the SUNY schools. As of 2019, about 30% of students were active in either social or professional and service Greek organizations.^[20]

There are seventeen residence halls on-campus. All buildings, in exception to Jones Hall, are named after counties in New York State. They are divided into the North, Central, and South Villages.

• Allegany Hall
• Erie Hall
• Genesee Hall
• Jones Hall
• Livingston Hall
• Monroe Hall
• Nassau Hall
• Niagara Hall
• Ontario Hall
• Onondaga Hall
• Putnam Hall
• Saratoga Terrace townhouses
• Seneca Hall
• Steuben Hall
• Suffolk Hall
• Wayne Hall
• Wyoming Hall

The University athletics team (nicknamed the Knights) are composed of 19 varsity teams (7 men's, 12 women's). All teams compete at the NCAA Division III level and all teams compete in the Empire 8 conference.^[21] In men's ice hockey the Geneseo Knights are known as the "Geneseo Ice Knights".

• Daniel Barwick (class of 1990), college president
• Howard Blumenthal, author
• Glenn Gordon Caron (class of 1975), TV producer
• Calvin Culver, actor, writer, producer
• Lana del Rey, singer-songwriter^[22]
• Greg Fox (class of 1983), artist/writer
• CGP Grey, web personality.^[23][24]
• Gregg 'Opie' Hughes, radio broadcaster
• Qurrat Ann Kadwani, actress, playwright, film producer^[25]
• Joe Langworth (class of 1988), actor, choreographer and director
• Brittany Lauda, voice actress
• Greg O'Connell, property developer
• Marissa Mulder (class of 2007), cabaret artist^[26]
• Chelsea Noble (formerly Nancy Mueller; class of 1987), film and TV actress
• William Sadler, actor
• Curt Smith (class of 1973), broadcaster and speech writer
• Jenna Wolfe, anchor of NBC's Weekend Today.
• J.T. The Brick, talk-show host

• William T. Amiger (class of 1898), educator, minister^[27][28]

• Brian L. DeMarco (class of 1996), Professor of Physics^[29]
• My Hang V. Huynh (class of 1991) energy researcher^[30]

• Liz Allen (class of 2006), Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of United States.^[31]
• Jeff Clarke (class of 1983), CEO of Kodak^[32][33]
• Adrianna Hungerford (1858–1946), President, Colorado State Woman's Christian Temperance Union
• David Klein, CFO of Constellation Brands.^[34]
• Ray Kotcher, non-executive chairman and advisor to Ketchum Inc.
• Joseph D. Morelle, U.S. representative for New York's 25th congressional district since 2018. Former New York State Assembly Majority Leader, 2013–2018^[35]
• Jackie Norris (class of 1992), former Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama.^[36]
• Eleanor Roosevelt Seagraves, granddaughter of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, librarian, educator, historian, and editor.
• Raymond Walter (class of 1994), New York State Assemblyman

• John Loomis Chamberlain, U.S. Army major general^[37]

• Tyler Brickler, hockey player

• Rita K. Gollin, Professor of English.
• Walter Harding, Professor of English.
• Carol Harter, Geneseo's eleventh president.
• David Maslanka, Professor of music.^[38]
• Eoin McKiernan, Professor of Irish Studies.
• Rudy Rucker, Professor of Mathematics.
• Clarence F. Stephens, Professor of mathematics
• Blanche Jennings Thompson, Author
• James Willey, Professor of Music^[39]
• Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, Professor of Theatre and Musical Theatre

Wikimedia Commons has media related to State University of New York at Geneseo.

• Official website
• Athletics website

42°47′44″N 77°49′10″W / 42.795668°N 77.819547°W / 42.795668; -77.819547