SUNY Brockport building renamed

Former president Albert Brown recognized

On May 5, the SUNY Brockport Faculty Office Building officially became the Albert W. Brown Building as over 250 friends, family, faculty, staff and dignitaries gathered to honor SUNY Brockport's third president.

Albert W. Brown (1965-1981) presided over the SUNY Brockport during a period of rapid change and expansion, as the college grew from 3,000 students to a record of 11,000 students (SUNY Brockport currently enrolls 8,450 students). The Faculty Office Building was one of the major construction projects completed during Brown's tenure that saw the campus grow with the addition of new library, office, academic, athletic and high-rise residence hall buildings.

Academic and administrative departments and the college's curriculum also underwent major reorganizations during Brown's tenure to more closely resemble the comprehensive liberal arts college that SUNY Brockport is today. "Even greater than Brockport's history is its potential," is one of his often-quoted comments.

At the dedication ceremony, SUNY Brockport President John R. Halstead said, "So much of the strength and stature of Brockport today, we owe to the great growth and leadership during the Brown years." Directed to the honored guest, Halstead said, "You have 'cut the road to last' at Brockport. And all of us who come after you are the beneficiaries of your enlightened leadership."

The Albert W. Brown Building is located among classroom buildings and student residence halls. It is connected by pedestrian bridge to the Drake Memorial Library and the Allen Administration building. It houses offices for the deans and associate deans of the School of Letters and Sciences, School of Professions and School of Arts and Performance, as well as faculty offices for 15 academic departments. The Albert W. Brown Building also is home to an extensive art collection of paintings, sculpture and photographs on display throughout the building.

May 21, 2006