SUNY Purchase College

State University of New York at Purchase

Motto	Think Wide Open
Established	1967
Parent institution	State University of New York
Endowment	$63.9 million (2014)
President	Thomas J.Schwarz
Provost	Barry Pearson
Academic staff	300
Students	4,188
Location	Purchase, NY, United States 41°02′49″N 73°42′07″W / 41.047°N 73.702°W / 41.047; -73.702Coordinates: 41°02′49″N 73°42′07″W / 41.047°N 73.702°W / 41.047; -73.702
Campus	Suburban, 550 acres (2 km²)
Colors	Athletic: blue and orange; Traditional: heliotrope and puce
Mascot	Panther
Website	www.purchase.edu

State University of New York at Purchase also known as Purchase College is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1967 as "the cultural gem of the SUNY system", Purchase College claims to offer "a unique education that combines programs in the liberal arts with conservatory programs in the arts in ways that emphasize inquiry, mastery of skills, and creativity." Purchase College was ranked 9 in U.S. News & World Report's 2016 listing of top public liberal arts colleges. The college was listed as one of Kiplinger's 100 Best Public College Values in 2016. It was also listed in that publication's 2014 list of Best Values in Small Colleges. The Princeton Review included Purchase College in its 2015 list of The Best 379 Colleges.

Purchase College confers the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and Master of Music (MM). As a requirement for the BA and BS degree, students undertake a senior project in which they devote two semesters to an in-depth, original, and creative study under the close supervision of a faculty mentor. Similarly, the BFA and MusB studies culminate in a senior exhibition, film, or recital. Master's degree programs culminate in a thesis and the MFA and MM culminate in an exhibition, recital, or related presentation.

The land that would become Purchase College was first settled by the Thomas family in 1734. John Thomas served as an assemblyman in colonial New York from 1743-1776. He served as a judge for the Court of Common Pleas in Westchester and a Muster-Master. Judge Thomas was an early supporter of American independence. Robert Bolton wrote in History of Westchester County that Thomas was "a warm Whig" who gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in New York at the White Plains courthouse on July 11, 1776. On March 22, 1777, Thomas was imprisoned by the British and died on May 2, 1777.