Collections : [University Archives]

Records from the Department of Physics from the State College for Tearchers to the University at Albany, SUNY.

The Department of Sociology was created in 1966 as UAlbany evolved into a large public research university.

Originally the Department of Speech and Dramatic Art, it encompassed the disciplines of Dramatic Art; Rhetoric and Public Address; Radio, Television and Film; and Speech Pathology and Audiology. The Department is responsible for the operation of the State University Theatre, is closely affiliated with the Northeastern New York Speech Center, and is the sponsor of a number of course-related student organizations

The Subject Files of the Theatre Department contain correspondence of the Department Chair, various committee minutes, academic planning documents and general administrative documents collected and generated during the years 1948-1978, 1984. Major projects of the department for which documentation exists include clippings, correspondence, publicity, course material, account ledgers, and Annual Production Reports, 1958-1969 of the Arena Summer Theatre and the Summer Theatre, 1972-1977. Also contained are early records relating to the planning and development of the Children's Theatre; Paul B. Pettit's involvement in the New York State Community Theatre Association; and the development of an Experimental Theatre program, 1969-1977.

This collection consists of both physical photographic materials and digital photography created by the campus photographer that documents the University at Albany, SUNY.

Contains the records of the Division of Student Affairs, its subordinate offices, and its predecessor bodies, including the Office of the Dean of Students. Materials include: planning and policy documentation, admissions and financial aid statistics, correspondence, and meeting minutes.

This collection is made up of faculty handbooks for professors at the University of Albany.

Reference file of former and current UAlbany faculty members.

The Faculty-Student Association Records document the day-to-day operations of this non-profit organization which provided ancillary services to the university community.

The research laboratory at General Electric was the launching pad for some of Vincent Schaefer's most pivotal scientific work. This series contains research notes, photographs, reports (published and unpublished, internal and external), and correspondence relating to all of his more famous experiments as well as a range of lesser-known work accomplished during his years at the G.E. Research Laboratory in Schenectady. The materials cover topics such as smoke/artificial fog generation, surface chemistry, studies of ice and snow particles, and early cloud seeding. The series is divided according to areas of specific interest to Schaefer as well as correspondence and publications.

The Vincent J. Schaefer Papers represent the professional accomplishments and personal interests of the scientist who discovered cloud seeding. Schaefer spent more than 20 years with General Electric in Schenectady, New York, working his way up from apprentice, to research assistant, to research associate. In those years he was mentored by Irving Langmuir, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry. The work Schaefer did at General Electric laid the foundation for further success as he became director of research for the Munitalp Foundation, began a highly successful summer science program for high school students, acted as an independent consultant, and founded the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center at the State University of New York at Albany. This collection contains research data, notes, correspondence, publications, and photographs that showcase Schaefer's long, industrious scientific career as well as highlighting his many hobbies in local history and environmentalism.

The formation and behavior of snow and ice crystals were a lifelong interest of Schaefer's, and in his time at General Electric he was able to focus on the subject during the World War II years as ice related to the safety of U.S. Air Force planes. Schaefer and Irving Langmuir's interest in that topic grew as a result of their World War II-era contract work with the military, and the experiments they conducted after the war's end led directly to their Project Cirrus contract in 1947—an undertaking so extensive that their work in that area merited its own series in this collection. Much of their foundational work in snow and ice composition and behavior was grounded in observations and experiments conducted on Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Schaefer discovered during this time that ice crystals and snowflakes could be captured and observed using Formvar plastic. Using this method, he documented very specific data about ice and snow before creating some of the first replicas of specific snowflake shapes. The work of Schaefer and his colleagues regarding ice research includes handwritten notes, drawings, charts, photographs, reports, and correspondence specific to ice, snow, and Mount Washington.

The records of the Institute of Gerontology include materials from the Institute on Aging, the Institute of Gerontology and the Ringel Institute of Gerontology, all of which served the same function within the State University of New York at Albany. Records include materials about program creation, correspondence, day files, grant applications, budgets, publications, research materials and professional development.