College at Oneonta News

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Five seniors from the SUNY College at Oneonta were among a select group of State University of New York students chosen to receive the 2004 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. SUNY Chancellor Robert L. King will present the awards to the students at a reception in their honor at the Empire State Convention Center in Albany on April 19.

The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence is the highest honor that SUNY bestows upon students. It is presented annually to SUNY students who demonstrate academic excellence and integrate it with other qualities such as leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, entrepreneurship, or career achievement.

The five SUNY-Oneonta students chosen by SUNY to receive the 2004 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence are as follows:

• Kelly Adams, a Chemistry major from Whitehall, NY
  A recipient of the CRC Award for Achievement in General Chemistry and a Procter and Gamble Scholarship, Kelly has made the Dean’s List or Provost’s List every semester, studied abroad in New Zealand, worked for Albany Molecular Research, served as a leader in the Chemistry Club and residence hall governance, and performed volunteer service in several capacities. She has also been recognized by the College with the Susan Sutton Smith student award, Richard Siegfried Student Award for Superior Scholastic Achievement, and an Alumni Association Centennial Scholarship.
   
• Kelly Covert, a Human Ecology: Apparel and Textiles major from Highland, NY
  A recipient of the College’s Susan Sutton Smith student award, Richard Siegfried Student Award for Superior Scholastic Achievement, and Provost’s Award for Academic Excellence, Kelly has appeared on Provost’s List or Dean’s List in every semester during her career at the College. A member of the national honor society for Human Ecology and the International Textiles and Apparel Association, she has served as a teaching assistant and tutor in Fashion courses, scene coordinator for the Student Fashion Society, and volunteer through Opportunities for Otsego and in a fund-raiser for cancer research.
   
• Brian Foster, an Adolescence Education: Earth Science major from Medford, NY

A recipient of a Susan Sutton Smith student award, Earth Sciences Alumni Book Award, and Class of 1952 Scholarship, Brian is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Epsilon, the Science Teachers Association of NY, and the Geological Society of America in addition to serving as a community volunteer, Student Association leader, and member of the Earth Sciences Student Advisory Council. A Resident Advisor and member of the Earth Sciences Student Advisory Council, he has volunteered for Into the Streets, the March of Dimes, and other causes.
 
• Alina Graham, an Adolescence Education: Mathematics major from Norwich, NY
  A top student in advanced mathematics courses, Alina has served as President of the Sanford Society, organized fund-raisers and trips to conferences, worked as a leader in residence hall governance, and served as an Academic Team Member, member of the Susan Sutton Smith Award committee, and CHOICES peer educator. A participant in the Putnam Mathematics Examination Competition and a recipient of the Susan Sutton Smith student award, she has volunteered for the Lord’s Table and Angel Tree and has tutored students at the Oneonta Job Corps Center.
   
• Jeremy Wyckoff, a Water Resources major from Westford, NY
  A recipient of the Earth Sciences Department’s QTZ Scholarship and Angelo Tagliacozzo Memorial Scholarship, Jeremy has participated in student-faculty research as part of the Bering Glacier Research Group, presented his findings at a professional conference, co-authored a journal article, and been admitted to the national honor society in Earth Science. He has received the College’s Susan Sutton Smith student award and Richard Siegfried Student Award for Superior Scholastic Achievement and served as a field course teaching assistant in Yellowstone National Park.

Since the program was implemented in 1998, thirty Oneonta students have received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, including seventeen in the past two years.

A liberal arts college with a pre-professional focus, the SUNY College at Oneonta features outstanding and accessible faculty, students committed to academics and community service, exceptional technology, a new fieldhouse and modern athletic facilities, and a beautiful campus. Since 1999, the College has hired 160 faculty and staff, renovated all dining and residence halls, and implemented over $60 million in facilities improvements. Nationally accredited academic programs, including Education, have helped to attract talented students. SUNY-Oneonta was recognized on Templeton’s Honor Roll for Character-Building Colleges; Yahoo Internet Life’s 200 Most Wired Colleges; and a national "Best Practices" list for its Center for Social Responsibility and Community.