SUNY New Paltz receives largest private donation in campus history

June 15, 2023
4:56 am

NEW PLATZ- SUNY New Paltz is pleased to announce the University’s acquisition of the largest gift in campus history, a $6.37 million private donation that will build knowledge of the Science of Reading for New York State’s educator pipeline. The historic gift comes from the Ibis Group, a non-profit with the mission to ensure every student has access to evidence-based instructional methods to master grade-level reading by the end of the 1st grade.

The funds will enable the University to establish the Science of Reading Center of Excellence at SUNY New Paltz, which will feature a new, first-of-its-kind Science of Reading Fundamentals microcredential for New York teachers, as well as the University’s second endowed professorship.

The gift was announced at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City following the June 9 special presentation of “The Right to Read,” a new documentary about providing our youngest generation with the ability to read through evidence-based literacy instruction. SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr., and SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler were present for the screening and the gift announcement.

“We are incredibly honored to receive this monumental gift, and SUNY New Paltz welcomes the opportunity to advance reading outcomes for students across New York State. This gift will support teachers’ ability to leverage the science of reading toward this goal,” said SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler. “As a nationally accredited institution that has trained teachers in the Mid-Hudson Valley region to serve the educational needs of New Yorkers for nearly two centuries, we are well-poised to provide this timely and much-needed microcredential. To our knowledge, no other New York public institution provides a similar offering.”

SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said, “As New York State’s largest source of new teachers, SUNY is committed to ensuring that educators have the knowledge and skills to help all children become successful readers. Thanks to this unprecedented donation from Ibis Group, SUNY New Paltz will be able to expand its leadership in the science of reading, launching with the new microcredential—helping teachers across New York State improve literacy for children. My congratulations to SUNY New Paltz for this critical funding and support for their teacher preparation program.”

“This historic announcement marks a critical step towards ensuring that every child in every classroom becomes a strong, confident, and fluent reader,” said NYC Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks. “For too long, our educators have been given the wrong playbook and we commend Chancellor King for his leadership and his support for our teachers.”

“Never has the need for robust investments supporting teacher preparation programs and public education been more important,” says Chi Kim, Board Chair for the Ibis Group. “We believe in investing in great leaders and educators and are incredibly proud to support the microcredential and endowed professorship under the leadership of SUNY Chancellor, John B. King, and SUNY New Paltz, President Darrell Wheeler.”

The Science of Reading Fundamentals Microcredential will launch in fall 2023 as a fully online, self-paced program designed to help New York’s P-12 teachers gain familiarity with the research-based building blocks of literacy instruction. Participants will have the ability to engage with instructors and experts during real-time webinars and will accrue 35 CTLE hours upon completion of the microcredential, which can be done in as little as seven weeks.