ONEONTA, N.Y. -- As the SUNY
College at Oneonta prepares for students to return for the 2007-08
academic year, the College is in good position to build upon its
successes of the past decade. The College will again meet its
enrollment targets with over 5,850 students expected on campus for
the beginning of classes on August 29, and SUNY-Oneonta anticipates
another academically talented freshman class.
SUNY-Oneonta led all of the SUNY comprehensive colleges this year
with over 12,500 freshman applications for Fall 2007 admission. The
College was highly selective in accepting approximately 38% of
freshman applicants. Last fall, the College accepted 45% of just
over 11,400 freshman applicants.
SUNY-Oneonta anticipates that about 1,100 new freshmen will
arrive on campus this year. The projected freshman class profile
includes a mean combined SAT score of over 1120 and a mean high
school average of over 90. Last year, the freshman profile had a
mean combined SAT score of 1105 and a mean high school average of
89.5.
The College will welcome more than 60 new faculty and staff this
year, including several faculty in newly created positions. The
College has added 29 new full-time faculty positions in the past
three years.
The returning faculty and staff includes four members who were
recently honored by SUNY: Dr. Janet Nepkie of the Music Department,
who was promoted to SUNY Distinguished Service Professor; Professor
David Manes of the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and
Statistics, who received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence
in Teaching; Assistant Professor Orlando Legname of the Music
Department, who received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in
Scholarship and Creative Activities; and Director of Admissions
Karen Brown, who received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in
Professional Service.
The College will present nearly 900 scholarship awards to
students this year, totaling about $1.5 million in value, including
63 new scholarships that were created during the College's recently
concluded five-year campaign. The campaign, Changing Lives Since
1889, raised over $12 million, exceeding its $10 million goal. The
College ranks first among SUNY colleges and third nationally among
public colleges in the rate of alumni giving, with 19.1% of
SUNY-Oneonta alumni making a gift to their alma mater in the past
fiscal year.
SUNY-Oneonta continues its program to improve campus facilities.
An ongoing $13-million rehabilitation of Science Building I,
scheduled for completion in 2008, will include modern labs and
classrooms, new utility systems, and upgraded offices. The latest
addition to the campus is the '57-'07 Gazebo, a special joint gift
from the 2007 graduating class and the 50th reunion class, which was
dedicated during Reunion Weekend in June.
This summer, the College also completed a comprehensive
rehabilitation of its Heating Plant, revamped the Hulbert Hall
dining facility, refurbished the main office of the Department of
Foreign Languages and Literatures in Fitzelle Hall, re-paved campus
roads and lots, and re-designed the hillside near Golding Hall to
improve accessibility and landscaping. In various residence halls,
the College installed new carpeting and doors and upgraded fire
alarm systems.
WUOW-FM 104.7, the public-radio affiliate station that the
College launched in February, will continue to provide National
Public Radio programming, local programming, and emergency
communications to the College, City, and Town of Oneonta.
The College's achievements continue to receive national
recognition. SUNY-Oneonta rose to 57th in the top tier of its
category in the recently released rankings of "America's Best
Colleges 2008" by "U.S. News and World Report." The College was also
identified by Kiplinger's magazine as one of the "100 Best Values in
Public Colleges" in 2007.
The SUNY College at Oneonta offers 69 undergraduate majors and 56
minors, including many programs that are interdisciplinary and
career oriented. The College offers hundreds of courses and dozens
of cultural and athletic events, all of which are open to the
public. The Milne Library, Center for Economic and Community
Development, Center for Social Responsibility and Community, Morris
Conference Center, Science Discovery Center, College Camp, and many
other campus venues serve as valuable resources for the community.
The College employs more than 1,200 workers in faculty, staff,
support, and auxiliary services positions.
Fall semester classes at SUNY-Oneonta will conclude on December
21 this year. Classes in the Spring 2008 semester will run from
January 16 through May 14, and the 2008 Commencement will be held on
Saturday, May 17.
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