Columbia-Greene kicking off its 60th year
Published on:
August 28, 2026
The college was founded in a temporary office in Catskill before moving to Athens and eventually its current campus in Hudson. Photo contributed.
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HUDSON―In 1966, the State University of New York approved the establishment of a new college to serve residents of the twin counties. Today, Columbia-Greene Community College is celebrating six decades of helping students reach their academic and career goals.
The college kicked off its 60th anniversary year this week with the annual State of the College address, delivered by Dr. Victoria L. Walsh, college president.
“At the start of this academic year, and in our sixtieth year, I am asking each of you to reflect on what you will do through your role to better deliver for our students and advance the mission of the college forward,” said Walsh, speaking to an auditorium of faculty, staff, trustees and partners from around the region.
Columbia-Greene Community College’s beginnings were simple, starting in 1968 with a temporary office in Catskill. The following year, the college moved to Athens where classes were offered in what is now the Athens Community Building on First Street.
The inaugural graduating class of 35 students received associates degrees in a dozen areas a study, walking across the Catskill High School stage in 1971.
The college moved to its current home in Hudson in 1974 and since then, both the campus and the program opportunities have seen vast expansion.
In 1978, curriculum grew from science and liberal arts to include vocational programs, non-credit classes, and business and industry training. Arts and technologies were added in 1984. Next came automotive technology, fine arts, and nursing.
Two capital projects in 1996 and 2018, totaling $33 million, saw the completion of new buildings and extensive renovations.
In more recent years, the college acquired the Hudson River Environmental Field Station at the Cohotate Preserve in Athens that serves as a laboratory, classroom, and research center. It also maintains partnerships with several other institutions, including SUNY New Paltz and the University at Albany, as well as Olana State Historic Site.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, the Columbia-Greene Community College adapted to new ways of reaching students, offering in-person, online, remote, and hybrid classes.
This summer, the college announced the introduction of two new academic programs in education and health sciences, made possible through the consolidation of 16 programs.
And the average student age has been on the rise, currently sitting at 27, Walsh told Greene County lawmakers at a recent meeting.
“We’re seeing a lot more students from both counties coming to the college to either up-skill, change careers, get a better job,” Walsh said. “That’s what we’re here to do now because, as you know, the demographic is shifting in the counties and the college has to respond to that.”
Adult learners, aged 25 to 55, can also be eligible for SUNY Reconnect that provides free tuition, fees, educational materials, and supplies.
For Greene County students, there is additionally the Greene Light to Enrollment Fund, a program the county legislature started in 2020 to provide tuition support for recent high school graduates and non-traditional students at Columbia-Greene Community College. The program supported 55 students in the 2025-2026 academic year.
This past spring, Research.com, a higher education and degree discovery platform, ranked Columbia-Greene Community College third best in New York State and number five in the entire Northeast for value. The platform looked at 277 colleges and universities.
The college’s official anniversary will be celebrated in December.
“This is a time to observe and remember the college’s tremendous history in these counties, and to be reinspired for the work we have to do now,” said Walsh.
