Vision and Mission Statements

Vision:  

The Dudley Observatory, chartered by the State of New York in 1852, is the oldest independent organization in the country supporting research and education in astronomy and the history of astronomy.  Our vision is to be a nationally recognized center for educational outreach and historical research in astronomy that is vibrant and expanding its impact, programming, and resources through both its own unique efforts and partnerships with other leading organizations.

Mission:

Dudley Observatory will provide education and outreach programs that expose as many people as possible to science, and particularly astronomy, in an appealing way.  We aim to humanize science, science careers and scientists, and make people more comfortable with science.  Our long-standing commitment to the history of astronomy and our library and artifact collection will serve as the platforms form which to launch vibrant and expanding educational programs.

We will achieve our vision by pursuing the following steps:

• Focus on K-12 and public outreach with the view that we will expand to undergraduate and graduate education, engaging K-12 teachers as collaborators in order to leverage our effect.

• Focus our activities locally, with an eye towards developing programs that can expand geographically.

• Restore our historic Pruyn 12” refractor telescope and locate it in an easily accessible site in the Albany/Schenectady/Troy metropolitan area, to promote the central mission of the Dudley Observatory.

• Develop additional educational exhibits from our collections of books and artifacts that can be used as traveling exhibits, and will eventually house them in a dedicated space.

• We will organize our website to appeal to young people and add content consistent with our mission and programs.

 

We will expand our impact, programming and resources through internal and external means:

• Seek grant funding to establish sustainable programming.  Once established, programs will be sustained though fees, gifts to the endowment, and increased fundraising activities.

• Partner with other government or educational organizations in order to increase our success in grant funding.

• Increase funding which will support additional full- or part-time educational staff who will leverage the physical resources of Dudley, and paid staff who can then leverage a base of volunteers. 

• Grow a “Friends of Dudley” organization whose primary function is to run fundraising activities for the Observatory.