“The promise of expanding the institutes is enormous,” said Zoe Smith. “I’m looking forward to a bright future in this space for years to come.”
The Adirondacks is a wilderness network of 3,000 freshwater lakes and ponds and 30,000 miles of rivers and streams. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, that the Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) of Paul Smith’s College has significantly leveraged this home-field advantage. Since its inception in 1991, AWI has become Upstate New York’s premier water quality services and research firm.
AWI now creates more than 160 seasonal and permanent jobs annually. That means an annual spend of more than $4 million. Using a conservative economic multiplier, that translates to a regional impact of more than $7.5 million.
AWI manages more than 100 lake studies and processes 20,000+ water samples in its State-certified environmental research lab. It oversees, for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, boat-wash stations at 60+ boat launches across the region to prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species.
Much of this remarkable growth can be credited to the leadership of Dan Kelting, PhD, who served as the Institute’s leader from 2003 until 2022, when AWI deputy director, Zoë Smith, was named executive director. Kelting was named President of Paul Smith’s College in August 2024.
AWI has become a key fixture at the College, securing large government and foundation grants and creating invaluable paid-research and paid-internship opportunities for the College’s faculty, students, and staff. This includes desirable partnerships with national and State leaders, such as the Adirondack Lakes Alliance and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
Paul Smith’s College is now taking steps to replicate the AWI model by capitalizing on the College’s expertise in a number of other disciplines. Among the criteria for a new institute is that it creates real-world research and consulting opportunities for faculty and students, benefits the region’s economy, and provides alternate revenue streams to enhance the College’s financial sustainability.
The College has established two new institutes—one in forestry and the other in artisanal culinary and adventure hospitality. Zoë Smith—recently named the VP of Strategic Initiatives—will oversee management of the College’s institute work, and has already helped secure more than $2.5 million in grants for the launch of these new efforts.
Photo: [Former] AWI Executive Director Brendan Wiltse monitoring water quality in one of the 94 lakes and 25 streams that form the backbone of AWI’s research program.