Election Section

Alfred in Alfred 

ALBANY, N.Y. — Two small colleges — each named Alfred and each sharing the tiny village of Alfred — are considering a merger, in part to stop the confusion over their shared name. 

Under the proposal, the State University College of Technology at Alfred would become a contract college within the private Alfred University located across the street. The State University of New York system would still own the grounds and employ the staff, but the private institution would handle administration. 

“It’s very confusing,” said William Rezak, the president of Alfred State. “There’s a lot of market confusion between the two of us.” 

The two schools are in Alfred, a village of only 1,000 permanent residents in western New York. The number of people in Alfred swells to 6,500 including students and people who commute into the town to work at the schools. 

Rezak said it is not unusual to have parents and prospective students show up at the wrong campus. “We get each other’s mail,” he said.