Paul Smith's College is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

in the hamlet/village of Paul Smiths, in the town of

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, Franklin County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, in the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...

. Established in 1946, Paul Smith's College offers academic degrees of Associate,

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

, and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

. Its 14,000-acre campus is one of the largest college campuses in the world. As of 2023, approximately 600 students attend each year.

History

Paul Smith's College was founded through a bequest of Phelps Smith, son of

Paul Smith's Hotel Paul Smith's Hotel, (1859–1930) formally known as the Saint Regis House, was founded in 1859 by Apollos Smith, Apollos (Paul) Smith in the town of Brighton, Franklin County, New York, in what would become the village of Paul Smiths, New Yor ...

founder Apollos ("Paul") Smith (1825–1912). Along with the money to start the college, Phelps also left more than an additional bequest of of land. Paul Smith's is located northwest of Saranac Lake, in the hamlet / village of Paul Smiths in the Town of

, in

Franklin County, New York Franklin County is a County (United States), county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. To the north across the Canada–United States border are the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, from east to ...

. Although the donation of money and surrounding land for the college was made in 1937, the college would not officially open until nine years later in 1946, when the first class of 150 students entered to study

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

and resort management. In 2015, Joan H. Mosher Weill, wife of Sanford I. "Sandy" Weill, a banker, financier, philanthropist and chairman of

Citicorp Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...

bank in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, offered a $20 million dollars donation on the condition that the institution change its name to Joan Weill-Paul Smith's College. Ms. Weill was a former trustee of the college. This change however would have violated Phelps Smith's founding bequest, which required that the school be "forever known" as Paul Smith's College of Arts and Sciences. Justice John T. Ellis of the

New York State Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

later ruled that the college could not be renamed, and the proposed donation was withdrawn. In 2023, the college proposed a merger with the Fedcap Rehabilitation Services (Fedcap), a

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

-based non-profit in

that provides

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...

education to those who have disabilities that affect their ability to find employment, but that proposal was later shelved. In 2024, the dining hall at Paul Smith's College was renamed Morehouse Hall in honor of

Stephen Warren Morehouse Stephen Warren Morehouse (ca. 1840–1882) was a wilderness guide, cook, and hotel worker at Apollos “Paul” Smith's Adirondack hotel in northern New York State.Godine, A. (2023). The Black Woods: Pursuing Racial Justice on the Adirondack Fr ...

(1840–1882), an early employee of the Paul Smith's Hotel and

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

(1861–1865) veteran of the Union Army who served in the famous

54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantr ...

of some of the first Black/African American soldiers to serve and fight in the war (of which a famous

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

feature film '' Glory'' was made in 1989, starring

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

and

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in ''WarGames'' (1983) as a teen government hacker, and ''Ladyhawke (film), Ladyhawke'' (1985), a medieval fantasy alongside Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. He play ...

Academics

Classroom space is primarily located at Pickett Hall, Cantwell Hall, and Freer Science Hall. Auxiliary areas include The Joan Weill Adirondack Library, the campus' sawmill, the Saunders Sports Complex, the Joan Weill Student Center and the Paul Smith's College VIC. Two on-campus restaurants, the Ganzi: Palm Training Restaurant and the A.P. Smith's Bakery, are staffed by students and open to the public. Paul Smith's Fall 2021 acceptance rate was 75%. In the 2024 rankings for the Regional Colleges North category by ''U.S. News & World Report'', the college was ranked 25 out of 52 schools.

Campus life

Most of the college population lives on campus. Residence halls are divided by class. Freshmen halls include Lydia Martin Smith Hall, Currier Hall, and Lakeside Hall. Incoming transfer students are housed in Franklin Hall. Upperclassmen share Essex, Clinton, Lambert, Blum House, Overlook, Saratoga, Alumni, Upper St. Regis, Lower St. Regis, and Hillside halls. Overlook Hall was opened in 2011 as a LEED-certified "green" dorm for upper-classmen. Paul Smith's rural location lends itself to many campus-based activities. Student-directed clubs administered under the Office of Student Activities include fishing and hunting, Adventure Sports Club, Society for Ecological Restoration, Society of American Foresters, the Wildlife Society, Student Government Association, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, PSC Snowcats, Anime and Gaming club, Fish and Game Club, and Adirondack

Mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, genetics, biochemistry, biochemical properties, and ethnomycology, use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, Edible ...

club, among others. The campus is located on Lower St. Regis Lake. Students have a beach, as well as docks and storage for canoes and kayaks. The Lakeside Dining Hall is operated by

Sodexo Sodexo (formerly Sodexho Alliance) is a French food services and facilities management company headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux. It has 522,000 employees as of 2023, operates in 55 countries and serves 100 million custome ...

. Both the A.P. Smith's Bakery and The Ganzi: Palm Training Restaurant in Cantwell Hall opens a few days a week each semester to sell student-produced products.

Athletics

Paul Smith's athletic teams are the Bobcats, but were formerly called the Falcons. The college is a member of the

United States Collegiate Athletic Association The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) is a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 72 mostly small colleges, including community/junior colleges, across the United States. The USCAA holds 15 national ...

, primarily competing in the

Yankee Small College Conference Yankee Small College Conference is a Division II conference in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The conference consists of two-year and four-year schools from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York State. The confe ...

since the 2010–11 academic year. The Bobcats previously competed in the Sunrise Athletic Conference of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

from 2002–03 to 2009–10. Paul Smith's competes in 14 different sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, ice hockey, rugby and soccer; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, ice hockey, rugby, soccer and volleyball; and co-ed sports include alpine skiing, biathlon, bass fishing,

Esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

, golf, marathon canoe,

Nordic skiing Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. Re ...

, snowshoeing, trap shooting and woodsmen. The Saunders Sports Complex houses the Bobcat Fitness Center, a gymnasium, and dance studio, which is open to the general public for a nominal fee. A -tall climbing wall was opened in the adjacent Buxton Annex gymnasium in 2010. Timbersports take place in both Fall and Spring semesters, with teams practicing every month of the school year. Events include pole climbing, log birling, chopping, splitting, sawing, pulp toss, ax-throw, and pack-board relay. The Paul Smith's woodsmen team's nine-year winning streak (from 1957–1966) in the sport's biggest event, the Spring Meet, is the longest in the history of intercollegiate lumberjack/lumberjill competition. The school's highly regarded squad travels to meets throughout the Northeast and Ontario, Canada. Both the men and women's soccer teams at Paul Smith's compete in an annual rivalry game with the teams from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The winner receives the Barkeater Cup. The PSC men's soccer team won the Cup in 2014. Men's and women's team participate in the Yankee Small College Conference regionally, and the USCAA on a national level. In 2022, the Paul Smith's College Men's Nordic Ski team won the USCSA National Championships located in Lake Placid, NY. The men's team won three out of the four events at the competition. Paul Smith's College won the 2024 U.S. Biathlon Collegiate National Championships. The Paul Smith’s College women’s hockey team won the inaugural AAU College Hockey Women’s National Championship on March 10, 2024, when they defeated the University of Tampa 4–2 in West Chester, PA. Leah Coulombe was named Tournament MVP.

Presidents

# Earl C. MacArthur (1942–1945) # Frederick G. Leasure (1945–1948) # Chester L. Buxton (1948–1976); Gray Twombly (1976; Acting) # Thomas Stainback (1976–1982) # Harry Millern (1982–1988) # H. David Chamberlain (1988–1994) # Arthur 'Pete' Linkins (1994–1996); Steven Schneeweiss (1996–1997; Acting) # George Miller (1997–2004) # John W. Mills (2004–2014) # Cathy Dove (2014–2020) # Jon Strauss (2020–2021) # Scott Dalrymple (2021–2022) # Nicholas Hunt-Bull (2022) # Dan Kelting (2022–Present)

Notable alumni

*Christian Cardiello and Eric Munley – members of The Blind Owl Bandbr>
* John T. Dillon (businessman), John T. Dillon –

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

and

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from 1996 to 2003. *

Laura James Laura Ellen James (born November 18, 1990) is an American model and actress. In 2012, James won the nineteenth cycle of ''America's Next Top Model'' and was consequentially signed with L.A. Models and New York Model Management. She is the daug ...

–

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

, the winner of ''

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Cycle 19br>
' * Jon L. Luther – former

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and former

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of Popeyes * John Mitzewich – YouTube celebrity

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

* Steve Ross –

Kinney National Company Kinney Services Inc. was an American conglomerate company that existed from 1961 to 1972. Kinney Services was established as a holding company and originated from a joint venture between a funeral business and parking company. After Mergers and ...

Warner Communications Warner Media, LLC (doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warner ...

and

Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{coord, 44, 26, 06, N, 74, 15, 08, W, display=title, type:edu Paul Smith's College Adirondacks Private universities and colleges in New York (state) Universities and colleges established in 1946 Forestry education Education in Franklin County, New York USCAA member institutions 1946 establishments in New York (state) Paul Smiths, New York