SUNY Oneonta

Mia Yanoti, of Poughkeepsie, NY, has completed an experiential learning project titled "Internship at Leatherstocking Quilts" at SUNY Oneonta. Throughout the calendar year, SUNY Oneonta students put their classroom knowledge into action as they complete a wide range of experiential learning projects across every academic discipline. Whether studying fashion trends, conducting biological research, analyzing historical archives, working in professional accounting settings or participating in community-based fieldwork, students are gaining real-world experience that prepares them for career success. These opportunities are supported through the university's Experiential Learning Center, located on the main floor of the Hunt Union. The center connects students with internships, research opportunities, global education experiences, volunteer programs and sustainability initiatives. By emphasizing hands-on engagement and practical skill development, the center ensures that experiential learning is woven into every major at SUNY Oneonta. "I interned at Leatherstocking Quilts in Oneonta. I gained experience in design and merchandising," said Yanoti, who is studying Fashion and Textiles. "This is a snapshot of the updated Leatherstocking Quilts website. During my internship, I worked on the website and organized it so that the store owner could begin online sales. "The online sales feature of the website had been active, but the store owner wanted everything to be completely organized and set up properly before "officially" launching and advertising the online store. I photographed the product, set up a new organizational system for the items and designed a simple layout that is user-friendly. I worked on this project for about a month. "I learned how important it is to consider the target market of a business when designing things like a website. The target market for Leatherstocking Quilts is women ages 65+, so they might not be as technologically adept. Keeping this in mind when designing helped me to create a website layout that allowed for general or highly specific searches, so that customers can browse the online store in a way that works best for them." Students benefit from a robust network of campus offices housed within the Experiential Learning Center. The Career Planning and Networking Center helps students secure internships in locations such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Albany and Los Angeles, as well as with local businesses and nonprofits. The Office of Global Education offers programs ranging from 10-day faculty-led trips to full-year study abroad experiences, while the Office of Student Research and Creative Activity supports student research through grants and opportunities to present at the annual Student Research and Creative Activity Showcase. SUNY Oneonta invests heavily in helping students access these opportunities. Each year, the university awards more than $120,000 in grants to support student research, internships and travel to professional conferences. In addition, 23 study abroad and experiential scholarships help students participate in faculty-led programs, national competitions and industry events. Since the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year, the Career Planning and Networking Center has distributed over $319,500 in internship stipends to more than 400 students.

Martina Ibrahim, of Malverne, NY, has been selected as the Spiritual Wellness Ambassador within the Office of Student Experience at SUNY Oneonta for the 2025-26 academic year as part of the Empire State Service Corps cohort. In this role, Ibrahim supports the holistic well-being of students through spirituality, religious literacy and personal growth. She manages the Interfaith Prayer and Reflection Space, assists the Interfaith Student Council and researches best practices for spiritual wellness on college campuses. Beyond these responsibilities, Ibrahim serves as Vice President of the Interfaith Council and emphasizes writing and crafting as practices that promote personal and spiritual well-being.

Twenty-five juniors and seniors at SUNY Oneonta are serving as Major Connection Coaches through the Major Connection Program within the Office of Student Experience. The program pairs these upperclass students with first-year and sophomore students in the same major, providing guidance, support and insights to help them navigate academic and professional challenges. Through their mentorship, the Major Connection Coaches empower students with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in their chosen field while fostering a collaborative and engaging learning environment.

For its opening production of the spring 2026 semester, 14 SUNY Oneonta students and the Theatre Department presented "Stupid F**king Bird," a dramatic comedy written by American playwright Aaron Posner. A contemporary adaptation of Anton Chekhov's 1986 play "The Seagull," "Stupid F**king Bird" features an aspiring young director raging against the art created by his mother's generation. A young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist, and "everyone discovers just how disappointing love, art and growing up can be." In this dramatic comedy, Posner stages a timeless battle between young and old in search of the true meaning of it all. "As the title might suggest, the play is a little subversive and designed to disrupt audiences' expectations about how theatre can - or should - be experienced," said Professor of Acting and Director Andrew Kahl. "The play offers interesting challenges for actors and for our student and staff production team. It requires advanced acting skills, emotional maturity and the cultivation of a strong ensemble to deliver the play effectively. While the show uses profanity and adult subject matter freely, the central messages are positive, often comedic and relevant to our students' current perspectives on the world around them." Directed by Kahl, "Stupid F**king Bird" was a joint performance made possible by the SUNY Oneonta Theatre Department's faculty and staff and students from the Mask and Hammer Theatre Club. Cast and crew began working on the production as soon as the semester began this spring. "Stupid F**king Bird" offers a distinctly different yet complementary theatre experience than the other three faculty-directed shows in the 2025-26 season, including the end-of-year musical "A Day in Hollywood, A Night in Ukraine" set to open later this spring. "Stupid F**king Bird" was performed in the Hamblin Theatre on campus from March 5-8. "From our first rehearsal to opening night will have been about five and a half weeks, which is particularly challenging given that everyone involved is still deeply immersed in all of the other campus and academic activities required of full-time students," said Kahl. "I am extremely proud of the dedication of this group and the excellent interpretation of this play that we have created together."

Through service that extends far beyond competition, SUNY Oneonta's student-athletes are demonstrating how leadership, learning and community impact go hand in hand. Oneonta has been selected from more than 430 NCAA Division III institutions nationwide to receive the NCAA Community Engagement Impact Award, a top honor recognizing student-athletes who made an extraordinary difference through service between September and December 2025. The Red Dragons led all Division III programs across the country with 100 percent student-athlete participation and an average of 13 service hours per student-athlete, totaling 7,276 hours of community engagement by more than 500 student-athletes representing 21 teams. Those efforts translated into an estimated $253,149 in economic impact, based on Independent Sector's national value of volunteer time. "Service is a core value of our institution," said Director of Athletics Ryan Hooper. "Our student-athletes' commitment to giving back reflects the very best of who we are-not just competitors on the field, but leaders who understand the impact they can make beyond it. Their dedication, compassion and willingness to serve our community demonstrate the character we strive to build every day." Full story: https://suny.oneonta.edu/news/suny-oneonta-earns-ncaa-community-impact-award

In the fall 2025 semester, the SUNY Oneonta Investment Management Team, consisting of Tudor Wolfson, Colby D'Andria and Nicholas Tyburczy advised by Assistant Professor of Finance Dr. Catalina Hurwitz, participated in the 2025 Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge. This international competition involved more than 2,600 student teams of three-to-five members and a faculty advisor from 50 countries using the Bloomberg Terminal for investment education. Teams received a virtual $1 million and had five weeks, from Oct. 13 to Nov. 15, to develop investment strategies. Dr. Hurwitz praised the competition for enhancing students' understanding of economic stability, global events and market trends within a short time. Department Chair Dr. Izabella Lokshina highlighted the advantage gained through practical experience using the Bloomberg Terminal for real-world market analysis.

One hundred ninety-six SUNY Oneonta students completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree following the fall 2025 semester. Graduates were honored and recognized during the Fall Commencement, held Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in the Dewar Arena of the Alumni Field House. The day before commencement, seniors took part in the Pass Through the Pillars tradition. With friends, family, faculty and staff cheering them on, seniors walked through the pillars a final time, representing the end of their Oneonta journey and transition into the alumni family.

Ashley Komosinski, of Delhi, New York, attended the annual Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) conference and showcased her research project titled "Memory Consolidation Enhances Serial Learning: An Investigation Using the Hebb Digits Task." Komosinski received the opportunity to share her psychology research with more than 1,500 higher education professionals and students at the MSCHE conference from Dec. 10-12, 2025, in Philadelphia's Center City district. She is among the nearly 250 students who have presented at the MSCHE Student Poster Presentations since 2022. "It was an amazing experience to be present at the conference," Komosinski said. "I learned so much from everyone around me. My favorite part was making connections with people I never would have met otherwise. Through this experience, I feel I have gained information and connections that will help me pursue graduate school and support me in my future career." Komosinski's research examined whether subconscious memory consolidation, the biological process that converts short-term memory into long-term memory, would help participants complete the Hebb Digits task. In the task, participants are shown a sequence of numbers and must immediately recall them in the same order. Using nine digits per sequence, most sequences are random except for one that repeats every third round. Known as the "Hebb effect," repeated exposure to the same sequence leads to gradual improvement in memory. Building on early 20th-century research showing that people recall information better after sleep than after activity, Komosinski presented participants with digit sequences across two learning sessions separated by a period of sleep. She and her SUNY Oneonta faculty sponsor, Dr. Geoffrey O'Shea, professor of psychology, adapted the traditional Hebb Digits format to test whether sleep between sessions would improve performance. "Using this format, we tested the hypothesis that serial learning of the digit sequences in the second session would be enhanced due to the intervening period of sleep," Komosinski said. "Results found that participants' recall for both the repeating and non-repeating sequences was greater for session two. Additionally, participants' digit-entry rate was faster for session two. The results are discussed in terms of the role of consolidation in associative and motor learning." Komosinski is a Psychology major at SUNY Oneonta and is a member of the Class of 2026.

Thirteen SUNY Oneonta students participated in the Oneonta Future Alumni Network program during the fall 2025 semester. The Oneonta Future Alumni Network offers students a unique opportunity to focus on networking, volunteering and event planning while building valuable connections with alumni and university partners. Members play an active role in event assistance, helping to organize and support a variety of events hosted by the SUNY Oneonta Division of University Advancement. Through their involvement, students can earn service hours and credit for the university's Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program, all while gaining hands-on experience and expanding their professional networks. The Oneonta Future Alumni Network provides a supportive environment for students to develop crucial skills, collaborate with peers, and cultivate lasting relationships with alumni that will benefit their careers post-graduation.

Three hundred and twenty-one SUNY Oneonta students earned Provost's List honors for the fall 2025 semester. To qualify for the Provost's List, a student must earn a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.

One thousand two hundred ninety-nine SUNY Oneonta students earned Dean's List honors for the fall 2025 semester. To qualify for the Dean's List, a student must earn a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.

Twenty-five SUNY Oneonta students were inducted into the Alpha Chi honor society on Wednesday, Nov. 12, during a ceremony held at the Otsego Grille at the Morris Conference Center. Among the inducted students were 13 undergraduate and 12 graduate students. For undergraduate inductees, students must be a junior or senior, have a GPA of 3.875 or higher and show good character. For graduate inductees, students must have 15 or more credits, a 4.0 GPA and show good character. Since 1922 Alpha Chi National College Honor Society has distinguished itself as one of the top national honor societies in the nation. Alpha Chi's mission is to recognize and promote academic excellence among college and university students, and by encouraging a spirit of service and leadership, to nurture those elements of character that make scholarship effective for good. Now with 500,000 alumni, some 300 chapters across 45 states and 10,000 new members annually, Alpha Chi recognizes exceptional student scholars and unites them to channel creativity and curiosity into scholarship that empowers a life of service.

Seventy-four SUNY Oneonta students received the Richard Siegfried Student Award in the fall 2025 semester for earning a total GPA of 3.9 or higher. To be eligible for the award, a student who meets the GPA requirement must either be a full-time first-year or transfer student. Students received the award on Nov. 20 following the annual Richard Siegfried Junior Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence Lecture, titled "In the Shadow of Giants: What animal fossils reveal about human origins," at the Morris Conference Center on campus. The Siegfried Junior Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence is named in memory of Richard K. Siegfried, SUNY Oneonta Professor of Theatre (1958-1995). Professor Siegfried (or Sieg, as generations of students fondly called him) epitomized excellence in his academic life, through imagination, meticulous scholarship and discipline, and through his expectation of the same pursuit of excellence in his students and colleagues. His dedication brought excellence to his work in such historical theater worlds as Aristophanes, Moliere, Ibsen, or Chekhov, to his rigorous study of the skills of voice and movement, and to his leadership in the imaginative creativity of improvisation. In the latter half of his professional career, Sieg embarked in a new direction, devoting his research to working directly with theater artists who were testing the limits of theatrical creativity, so that he might enrich his work with his own students. This new study led to special enthusiasm for artists whose work merged theater goals with humanitarian goals. Soon, more and more of his own productions, whether of the classics or the avant garde, came to embody his commitment to humanitarian causes. Sieg, with his wife Alice, began to apply theatrical skills, both traditional ones and those newly acquired, to the area of social change. Students and community members alike soon joined him in bringing this new theater to the streets to raise public awareness, most memorable in the huge puppets he designed to dominate Oneonta's landscape in peace rallies or on Hiroshima Day. Sieg was himself instrumental in establishing a sister city relationship between Oneonta and Dipilto, Nicarague, encouraging community members to join him in helping rebuild that city. Indeed, Richard Siegfried's devotion to academic excellence and to humanitarian integrity merged in him, until he became a conscience for our community, a voice backed by action, moving against injustice and violations of human dignity at home and abroad.

SUNY Oneonta awarded $31,100 in grant funding to support 38 students pursuing internships during the fall 2025 semester. The grant program aims to make internship experiences more accessible by helping defray costs such as transportation, living expenses, technology, etc. Any student who plans to complete an internship for academic credit can apply for a grant of up to $3,000 through SUNY Oneonta's Career Planning and Networking Center, which also provides career counseling and helps students find and secure internships in their fields of study. SUNY Oneonta is committed to helping students pursue experiential learning opportunities that allow them to explore their field of interest while gaining valuable experience to prepare for life after graduation. Internships are among the many real-world learning opportunities students can secure through the university's Experiential Learning Center. In addition to providing financial support to students pursuing internships, SUNY Oneonta awards more than $100,000 annually in student grants for research and travel to professional conferences and has 23 different scholarships for students who study abroad or participate in faculty-led trips.

During the fall 2025 semester, the SUNY Oneonta Career Planning and Networking Center awarded a total of $91,800 to 64 students from Incremental Funds issued to the university by the State University of New York system. Students received funding for credit-bearing, unpaid internships to help offset the costs associated with completing unpaid internships on and off campus. The Career Planning and Networking Center on campus offers career counseling and helps students find and secure internships in their fields of study. To help with the application and registration process, the Career Planning and Networking Center hired Internship Facilitators in 2024 to assist students, faculty and staff. SUNY Oneonta is committed to helping students pursue experiential learning opportunities that allow them to explore their field of interest while gaining valuable experience to prepare for life after graduation. Internships are among the many real-world learning opportunities students can secure through the university's Experiential Learning Center. In addition to providing financial support to students pursuing internships, SUNY Oneonta awards more than $100,000 annually in student grants for research and travel to professional conferences and has 23 different scholarships for students who study abroad or participate in faculty-led trips.

Five SUNY Oneonta students volunteered as yoga instructors during an eight-week EDD Adaptive Sports class during the fall 2025 semester. The class, held in the Alumni Field House dance studio on campus, saw roughly 10 EDD athletes in attendance. Students helped weekly with set up, breakdown and supporting the athletes. "I greatly enjoyed watching the athletes interact with the students," said Dr. Katherine Christison, assistant professor of exercise science and the class instructor. "Watching and mirroring the students' poses helped the athletes feel comfortable and confident with their own skills."

Twenty-four SUNY Oneonta students are studying abroad during the fall 2025 semester through programs offered by the university. SUNY Oneonta offers summer and semester programs through study abroad and exchange with international partner universities, and many short-term faculty-led programs through the Office of Global Education (OGE). Of the available programs, these students are studying abroad at the American College of Greece in Greece, Seinan Gakuin University and Tokyo Metropolitan University in Japan, Hanze Univ. of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, Ludwigsburg University in Germany, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, Instituto Lorenzo de' Medici and Florence University of the Arts in Italy, University of Albany in Valencia (AIP), University of Barcelona and University of Granada in Spain, University of Westminster, Leeds University and Manchester Metropolitan in the United Kingdom and Universite de la Rochelle in France. Eleven students received scholarships from SUNY Oneonta to study abroad, including the Bill & Khuki Woolever Scholarship, Caroline Turner '53 Study Abroad Scholarship, Carrie Krumholtz-Liebman '92 Scholarship AND Klaritch Family International Education Scholarship, College at Oneonta Foundation 30th Anniversary Scholarship, David '77 and Nancy Frick Global Connections Scholarship, David Daly '82 & Arthur Dauria Scholarship for International Travel, Dr. Warren & Mrs. Rita Wellman Scholarship for Study Abroad, Gary '71 and Pamela '73 Tutty Study Abroad Scholarship and Nancy E. Wolters Endowed Scholarship. More than 20 scholarships were established by the SUNY Oneonta Foundation to provide support for students who might otherwise not have the financial means to study abroad. Scholarships are made possible through gifts from alumni, faculty, staff and community members, and are awarded each semester to qualifying students.

Thirty-five students were elected to serve in Student Association positions for the 2025-2026 academic year at SUNY Oneonta. The Student Association serves as the liaison between the administration, faculty and students. Elected students sit on external committees where they voice student input on decisions that affect the campus community. The Student Association of SUNY Oneonta is dedicated to fostering and maintaining meaningful relationships between students, faculty and administration to be effective in advocating for and allocating resources towards bettering the well-being of the student body. The Student Association strives to promote an inclusive, academic and social experience that encourages student growth and participation by advancing advocacy, transparency and communication between the branches of the Student Association, the broader Oneonta community and the collective student body.

The Personal Finance Achievement Award is given to students through the SUNY Oneonta financial wellness program, Making Cent$. Making Cent$ staff, interns and volunteers put together numerous events and activities that help students improve their proficiency with financial literacy. Students participating in Making Cent$ earn credit for Making InCENTive$, which leads them to the Personal Finance Achievement Award. This award recognizes a student's dedication to improving financial literacy by completing core activities in six personal finance categories and continually participating in the program. After finishing the Making InCENTive$ path, students complete an exit interview during their final semester to help improve the Making Cent$ program, earn their Personal Finance Achievement Award in receive a Making Cent$ graduation cord.

Six SUNY Oneonta students were immersed in hands-on, grant-funded learning experiences abroad this summer in subjects ranging from biology to music under the guidance of faculty mentors. The trips were made possible by the Tyler Center for Global Studies, which awarded a $20,000 grant to SUNY Oneonta to fund student international research and creative activities. SUNY Oneonta was among 12 universities across the country to be selected by the Tyler Center for Global Studies. SUNY Oneonta opened applications to all students and selected a cohort of six students as its first class of Tyler Fellows. Each student chose a different destination, spending just under a week to more than a month engaged in their project. Among their SUNY Oneonta faculty mentors were Assistant Professor of Photography Wesley Bernard, Associate Professor of Spanish Maria Cristina Montoya, Associate Professor of Music Adam Kent and Associate Professor of Biology Kiyoko Yokota. Now back on campus, students have been working on personal reflections about their travels and projects, networking with their peers in the program and will participate in a virtual Tyler Fellowship conference on Nov. 20. All six Tyler Fellows also presented their research during the Student Research and Creative Activity Summer Showcase on campus in the Hunt Union International Lounge on Sept. 23. Read the full story: https://suny.oneonta.edu/news/students-receive-new-grant-travel-abroad-projects

This summer, SUNY Oneonta's sunny, quiet campus quad was filled with the buzz of 145 accepted students arriving early to learn what to expect as new first-year students. But this was no tour, these students moved into the residence halls for four weeks. Designed to make the huge transition to college a little less intimidating, the AOP (Access and Opportunity Program) Summer Academy has been welcoming new students since the 1990s. From morning to night, the students' days are designed to familiarize them with collegiate academic and social expectations, school policies, student services and learning resources at SUNY Oneonta. Throughout the week, there were presentations and tours of departments including Financial Aid, Counseling, Academic Advisement, Career Planning & Networking, Global Education and Student Accounts. Students were able to ask questions about internships, studying abroad and course selections. See the full story: https://suny.oneonta.edu/news/summer-academy-students-learn-secrets-success

Sixty-seven recent SUNY Oneonta alumni are continuing their education at the university through graduate programs after earning their bachelor's degree in December 2024, May 2025 or August 2025. These students began their graduate studies at the start of the summer 2025 term or will begin in the fall 2025 semester. SUNY Oneonta offers 14 graduate programs that are in person, online or a mix. Students can enroll in master's degree or certificate programs that include Biology, Lake Management, Museum Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, Literacy Education, Educational Technology, School Counseling and Special Education. SUNY Oneonta's graduate programs frequently receive external recognition for quality, affordability and career outcomes, including: No. 114 on U.S. News and World Report's 2025 list of the nation's "Best Online Master's in Education Programs." No. 1 on Intelligent.com's list of the "Best Online Master's in Reading and Literacy Programs of 2025." No. 11 on TheEdAdvocate.org's list of "2023 Best Online Master's In Reading Education Programs" in the country. No. 2 in the nation on the OnlineMastersDegrees.org list of "Top Nutrition Master's Programs Online for 2024." No. 3 in the nation on EduMed.org's 2024-25 list of "Best Online Nutrition Master's Degrees." No. 7 in the nation on OnlineU's "2025 Best Master's Degrees in Nutrition Online." In addition to highly competitive tuition rates and graduate student scholarships, many programs offer Graduate and Teaching Assistantships, which include tuition waivers or stipends. SUNY Oneonta graduate students develop meaningful relationships with outstanding, accessible faculty who are experts in their fields, experienced, caring teachers and advocates for their students' successes. After completing their degree program, graduates join a network of successful alumni whose experiences at SUNY Oneonta opened new doors, fostered personal and professional growth and enriched their careers.

The SUNY Oneonta Men's and Women's Track & Field teams had five individuals and two relays receive All-SUNYAC honors at the SUNYAC Championships on Feb. 23-24. Senior Aidan Kelly was the SUNYAC Champion in the men's heptathlon. Senior Isabella Fabrizio earned All-Conference in the women's shot put and weight throw, junior Marco Alter in the men's weight throw, senior Jonthomas Bierman in the 800-meter run, and senior Ejim Nnate in the 60-meter hurdles. The Red Dragons won both the men's and women's distance medley relays.

More than 250 SUNY Oneonta students earned Provost's List honors for the fall 2022 semester. To qualify for the Provost's List, a student must earn a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.