Go Great Danes!

Today I spent a little while learning about the University at Albany, an institution I previously knew nothing about. For instance, I found out that this state school has about 17,000 students, grad and undergrad, 637 full-time faculty and about 300 part time, and three libraries with two million volumes. Its mascot is the Great Dane. Besides the University at Buffalo, it’s the only domestic institution of higher learning I can find on my World Almanac list that uses “at” instead of “of,” not counting constructions such as the University of Arkansas at Ft. Smith.

Also, there’s a statue of Minerva on campus. According to the UAlbany web site: “Since the University at Albany's beginnings as the New York State Normal College [in 1844], Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, has been the institution's enduring symbol. The figure of Minerva and the Latin motto, Sapientia et sua et docendi causa ("Wisdom both for its own sake and for the sake of teaching") have appeared on the University seal since about 1913. Today, Minerva, wearing her distinctive helmet, continues to symbolize the University's proud past and long-standing reputation for educational excellence.”

Why the sudden interest in a school I previously had no connection with? A postcard from Geof Huth arrived today, including this information: “… my ten boxes of correspondence are going to UAlbany on Sunday [meaning October 15, I think] along w/ all correspondence from you through Sep 2006. Ah, sweet posterity.”

I wouldn’t have thought of donating correspondence to a university, but then again Geof is a professional archivist. I expect the University at Albany to last a lot longer than I will, so with any luck the items Geof has deposited will linger there for a few centuries, probably lasting longer than any other documents I have created or will create, or any other memory of me. Until the massive destruction of the great Quebec-New York war of 2452 or the abandonment of the school after the 23rd century New Black Death or something.