Located in the state capital of Albany, New York, the University of Albany was established as a normal school, in 1844. It was a two-year institution both to train new and upgrade existing common school teachers. The College for Teachers rapidly grew into a four-year institution between 1890 and 1914, and a new curriculum was sketched out. Several buildings were constructed on Western Avenue, in 1909, to accomodate incoming students. In 1914, the institution officially became the New York State College for Teachers. It had the characteristics of a small four-year liberal arts college. The college became the State University of New York, in 1962. During the spring of 1970, the campus was disrupted as the students joined students in other places to protest the Vietnam War. The 1975-76 financial crises also affected the university by having some program cancellations and other readjustments. In the 1980s and 1990s, it emerged as a mature public research university. Graduate programs steadied and strengthened. Today, over 100 undergraduate, 82 master's, and 37 doctoral programs are offered here. The main campus features 13 academic buildings on a common platform, the University Library and the Performing Arts Center, several theaters, recital halls, rehearsal rooms, and instructional areas. There is also a Fine Arts Building, which houses one of the finest museums in the Northeast, a meteorological laboratory, a Computing Center, and a linear accelerator for physics research. Outdoor recreation facilities at this New York university include 24 tennis courts, four basketball and six volleyball courts, an all-weather running track, and several multi-purpose playing areas. The Recreation and Convocation Center is the newest addition to the athletic and physical education area. It provides an arena (seating capacity of nearly 4,800), a running track for indoor competition, a modern fitness center, a fully equipped and modern athletic training complex, four additional handball/racquetball courts, four squash courts, two main locker rooms, and 10 smaller team locker rooms.