Stuart Robinson became the ninth director of athletics at the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2001. Under his direction, New Paltz has completely revamped its facilities and has become a competitive force in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC).
As the Director of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation, he has overseen the construction of the 57,000-square-foot Athletic & Wellness Center, a quarter-mile outdoor track and a turf field; the renovation of the tennis courts and Loren Campbell Memorial Baseball Field; and the relocation of the Mary Gray Deane Softball Field. The Hawks have enjoyed unprecedented success under his guidance as well. His programs have combined to capture 23 conference titles, including 20 SUNYAC Championships with the men's volleyball program earning the first two national championships in school history in 2016 and 2019. Additionally, during his 18-year tenure as the director of athletics, nine different coaches have garnered 22 SUNYAC Coach of the Year honors in addition to two different coaches earning national Coach of the Year accolades.
Scores of students have benefited from Robinson’s leadership as well. He has helped students at New Paltz by starting a student-athlete leadership academy, establishing a student-athlete code of conduct, developing an academic monitoring program, enhancing the wellness & recreation program and creating an outdoor pursuits program.
In 2000, he was named interim director of athletics before being named the director of athletics in 2001. He spent three years as an assistant director of athletics from 1994-97 for New Paltz and spent one year as the special assistant to the president in 1995. In 1997, he returned to the athletic department as the full-time associate director of athletics until 2000.
Robinson served as the head coach for the Hawks’ men’s soccer team for 15 years, gaining SUNYAC Coach of the Year honors in 1996 and 2004. Throughout his duration as the bench director, he coached five National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region honorees and 24 All-SUNYAC players, including the 2003 SUNYAC Player of the Year.
Before his arrival to New Paltz, Robinson was an English instructor for four years at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Prior to Dutchess Community College, he worked for Vassar College for seven years as a house associate, advisor to minority students and assistant director of admissions. In addition, he served as Vassar’s head men’s soccer coach from 1986-90.
Robinson has remained active within both the NCAA and the SUNYAC. He was a member of the NCAA Division III Championships Committee and the NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions. At the SUNYAC level, he has served on the Scheduling Committee (chair), the Finance Committee and the Constitution Committee. During the 2007-08 academic year, Robinson served as the SUNYAC president. From 1999 to 2003, he served as a member of the NCAA Soccer Rules Committee. He also was a member of the Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee from 2003-07 and chaired the committee from 2005-07.
Beyond his duties within athletics, Robinson has been an adjunct professor of English at New Paltz.
Robinson is a 1983 graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., with a degree in English. In 1989, Robinson earned his masters degree in English from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt.
