The nation's largest comprehensive public university system, The State University of New York (SUNY), was established in 1948. Since its founding, the SUNY system has evolved to meet the changing needs of New York's students, communities, and workforce. SUNY initially represented a consolidation of 29 unaffiliated institutions, including 11 teachers colleges. All of these colleges, with their unique histories and backgrounds, united for a common goal: To serve New York State. Today, the system includes 64 schools, a mix of 29 state-operated campuses and five statutory colleges-including research universities, liberal arts colleges, specialized and technical colleges, health science centers, land-grant colleges-and 30 community colleges. These institutions offer programs as varied as ceramics engineering, philosophy, fashion design, optometry, maritime studies, law, medical education, and everything in between. The University also operates hospitals and numerous research institutes.
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States. Our impact in New York State and across the globe begins with our 64 institutions, including research universities, academic medical centers, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, colleges of technology and an online learning network. We serve nearly 1.3 million students, including nearly 600,000 in credit bearing courses and programs and more than 700,000 through continuing education and community outreach programs. Our nearly 3 million SUNY alumni are located around the globe, each making their own unique impact.
SUNY was created out of a commitment to opportunity and access, and designed to meet diverse needs across a vast geographic landscape. We reflect both the land grant mission reborn and a reputation for embracing new thinking and brighter ideals. Our faculty and students are constantly seeking, generating, analyzing, and sending knowledge back into the world through informed citizens, revitalized communities, and experts who transform entire sectors.
SUNY's colleges and universities are state-supported and our graduates have been giving back and transforming the lives of local and global citizens since we were established over 65 years ago. Millions of SUNY alumni are working in their communities every day, changing and improving the world with exceptional contributions-whether defined as a medical breakthrough, a technological innovation, an inspirational piece of art, or the birth of a new business.
Brands are often defined by a unique design, symbol, word, or combination of these, used to create an expression that identifies a product and differentiates it from its competitors. But a brand is also so much more. The goal of a brand should be to communicate an organization's philosophy. It should ensure all communications are unified, compelling, relevant, and linked to a common purpose - making each communication more efficient. A great brand will become associated with its purpose - representing loyalty, credibility, and quality to its audience.
We have a collective vision for making New York the best it can be. We call it The Power of SUNY and it guides us in order to keep true to our mission. The Power of SUNY capitalizes on the sum of our parts. As the nation's most comprehensive university system - community colleges, technical colleges, and university centers that specialize in almost every imaginable field - promoting personal growth, business development, and economic revitalization in the community is literally at our fingertips.