SUNY Oneonta

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.

For its final production of the fall 2025 semester, the SUNY Oneonta Theatre Department presented "Scapino" with 21 students. "Scapino" is a physical farce comedy adapted by Frank Dunlop and Jim Dale from Moliere's 1671 play "Les Fourberies de Scapin." Set in present-day Naples, Ottavio and Leandro are a couple of friends whose fathers have had to go away on a business trip, leaving their sons in the care of guardians, Scapino and Sylvestro. During his father's absence, Ottavio fell in love with and married the pretty Giacinta. Now he learns his father has returned with plans to "marry him off." A series of wild plots and counterplots unfold as Ottavio seeks Scapino's help. "We decided on this show because it allows the students to be exposed to a very specific acting style, Commedia dell'Arte," said Kiara Pipino, Associate Professor of Acting, Directing and Movement. "To that end, we also secured a grant so that we could invite a specialist in the field, Mace Perlman, to be part of the production and to teach a Commedia dell'Arte workshop to our student body." Directed by Pipino, "Scapino" 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. Faculty, staff and students made up the show's crew, while the cast is made up of students and guest artist Mace Perlman.

Seven SUNY Oneonta students presented at the Astronomical Society of New York (ASNY) conference on Oct. 25 at Skidmore College. ASNY is a professional organization that holds two main meetings a year for astronomers in New York, where members present research and students can receive awards and grants. SUNY Oneonta students (and their projects) who presented at the ASNY Conference include Ethan Biles (Computational Physics for space missions), Joshua Ippolito and Tyler Mann (Lighting Up the Early Cosmos: Locating High-Redshift Supernovae with JWST), Julia Busemeyer and Delaney Vitzthum (Drop It Like It's Hot: Detecting Hot Jupiters and Other Exoplanets), Jack Millen (RockOn!) and Lucanthony Angrand (Numerical Simulation of Ring Particles Around Centaurs).

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."

Calvin Conti, of Schenectady, NY, received a scholarship from the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS) at a conference. Conti is majoring in Adolescence Education: Mathematics and Mathematics at SUNY Oneonta and is a member of the class of 2026. The AMTNYS scholarship is a $2,000 scholarship awarded to four students per year enrolled in a Teacher Education Program in New York State who have completed at least 18 credit hours in Mathematics. Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25. Awards are based on a committee evaluation of each student's achievement throughout their academic program and their involvement with and contributions to their school and the mathematics community. Conti was encouraged to apply for the AMTNYS scholarship by Dr. Toke Knudsen, professor of mathematics at SUNY Oneonta, who wrote a letter of support for Conti.

Ben Lake, from Victor, N.Y., recently presented his original planetarium show, Cultures in the Cosmos, at the Digistar Users Group (DUG) 2025 Conference, held Sept. 15-19 at the Birmingham Museum in Birmingham, England. "We got to hear presentations about things we could do inside the planetarium," said Lake. "It was honestly just a good showcase of what people can do inside planetariums. That was my key takeaway-seeing a planetarium is not just a place to look at stars. It's a place that's a fancier theater where you can have it be educational or entertaining in a variety of different ways." Lake, who is enrolled in SUNY Oneonta's Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies, M.A., is currently interning at the SUNY Oneonta Planetarium, where he develops educational programming and presents shows to the public. Cultures in the Cosmos explores constellation traditions from three world cultures: a Native American tribe, the Hawaiian Star Lines and Imperial China, highlighting how societies around the globe interpret the night sky. At the international conference, Lake showcased the Hawaiian portion of the show to an audience of planetarium professionals using the same Digistar software. His presentation received positive feedback from peers and experts, including representatives from major institutions such as the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Cultures in the Cosmos is also available on the Digistar cloud database, allowing other planetariums with access to show Lake's program. "It's a 35-minute movie total," said Lake. "It's what we show every Saturday now at 10:30 p.m. in the SUNY Oneonta Planetarium. I think it's not only a good cultural showcase to show that there are different perspectives from around the world, but it's also a good constellation show in general." After Lake graduates in the spring, he plans to pursue an education role that involves what he loves most about Museum Studies: interacting with the public. His long-term goal is to transition into an education director role, where he'll be able to actively communicate with school districts and other groups to help identify their individual education needs, meet them where they are and help elevate their students' learning experiences. To help offset the cost of traveling, Lake received funding from the SUNY Oneonta Student Travel for Excellence Program (STEP) Academic Fund and the Caroline '67 and David D'Antonio Student Travel for Excellence Fund.

SUNY Oneonta students were recognized for attaining silver-level leadership milestones in the fall 2025 semester through the university's Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program. LEAD@Oneonta is a comprehensive leadership program based on current research and guidelines from the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. All students can choose to participate in the LEAD program, which aims to better prepare them for life after earning their degree by providing a comprehensive picture of leadership and the skills needed to be a good leader. Students can attain a silver, gold or platinum level. To reach each level, students must meet a mix of programmatic and experiential leadership requirements, including completion of online courses, attendance at educational events, and membership and leadership in one or more of SUNY Oneonta's 100+ student-run clubs and organizations. Completing a leadership level is recognized on campus as a credential that can be used, for example, when running for office or applying for STEP (Student Travel for Excellence Program) funding. The program also provides students with a leadership record that can be submitted to potential employers.

In the Project Space Gallery at SUNY Oneonta, Owen Sullivan, of Huntington, N.Y., is exhibiting artwork in a solo show consisting of process-based animation called "MURPH" until Dec. 6. Sullivan is a Digital & Studio Art major at SUNY Oneonta. A reception with remarks from Sullivan is taking place on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 5-7 p.m. "This multimedia exhibition tells four stories across three unique sections, featuring three short films and a variety of fun, vibrant and beautiful artwork," said SUNY Oneonta Art Gallery Director Sarah Simpson. "MURPH is the tale of an anthropomorphic dog who sets out to save the city he loves from total destruction at the paws of the uncontrollable, superpowered CATZILLA. It's a Western-style food showdown, inspired by the great spaghetti Westerns of the past; at the same time, it's the story of a young boy using his imagination to escape reality, transforming dull, everyday moments into larger-than-life, fantastical adventures. The show is designed to lift the veil on the animation process by showcasing the journey from initial idea to finished product and demonstrating the long history that has made animation such a beloved medium." Admission to the gallery and reception is free and open to the public, and visitors can receive parking passes through the University Police Department. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, contact Sarah Simpson at Sarah.Simpson@oneonta.edu or 607-436-2445.

Two SUNY Oneonta students are interning independently with the Office of Sustainability during the 2025-26 academic year. Heather Sanger, a dual major in Communication Studies and Sociology, and Kamelah Union, who is majoring in Environmental Sustainability, are the Office of Sustainability's interns. During their internship, Sanger and Union are managing communication within the office's student volunteer program, EcoReps. Through EcoReps, the Office of Sustainability student volunteers support programs and initiatives that integrate sustainability across campus. As interns, Sanger and Union create, plan and implement events and programming, assist in scheduling and run EcoRep meetings. Both students are receiving academic credit for their internship and are paid through the Office of Sustainability.

SUNY Oneonta senior Elisabeth "Ellie" Vogl, a Biology major specializing in pre-veterinary medicine, was recognized with the Association of Council Members and College Trustees (ACT) of the State University of New York for Excellence and Student Initiative Scholarship during the annual ACT Conference on Oct. 18 in the King Street Ballroom at the Marriott in Albany, N.Y. Each year, ACT honors two students from each SUNY sector, University Centers and Doctoral Degree Institutions, University Colleges and Technology and Community Colleges, who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, leadership and service to their campus and community. In addition to receiving a scholarship, each honoree selects a charitable organization to receive a donation on their behalf. Vogl, who transferred to SUNY Oneonta in fall 2024, has maintained a 4.0 GPA, earning a place on the Provost's List for both the fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters. In addition to her academic excellence, she has shown outstanding commitment to campus and community engagement. She serves as a student ambassador for the 1889 Society, a giving society that supports SUNY Oneonta programs and scholarships, and is an active member of the Oneonta Future Alumni Network (OFAN), Pre-Health Club and Pre-Health Honor Society. Her leadership roles include President of Hulbert A Hall Government, President of Hippies for Hope and member of the Empire State Service Corps Civic Engagement Branch, through which she partnered with the League of Women Voters to increase voter registration and preparedness on campus. Vogl also volunteers at Club Odyssey, a local drug-free young adult clubhouse that provides social and support services for area youth. In summer 2025, Vogl participated in SUNY Oneonta's Water and the Environment of Guatemala study abroad program, conducting advanced field and laboratory research on water quality and watershed sustainability in the Lake Atitlan region. Her faculty mentors describe her as "ambitious, open-minded, compassionate and always willing to go the extra mile." Vogl's commitment to service extends beyond campus through her work with Super Heroes Humane Society, where she interned during the fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters, contributing 15-20 hours weekly to support animal care and adoption efforts. As part of the ACT Scholarship, she designated her $250 donation to Super Heroes in recognition of its vital role in the community. There, she gained hands-on experience that will strengthen her preparation for veterinary school, assisting with adoptions, intakes, medicating, feeding, socializing and spay/neuter clinics, work that aligns with her goal of pursuing veterinary medicine to serve communities in need. "Super Heroes is a crucial resource for the Oneonta and surrounding community," said Vogl. "They have a strong emphasis on TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), making a meaningful impact on cat colonies, which are prevalent in the community and surrounding area. Aside from surrenders and adoptions, Super Heroes also offers a low-cost Spay/Neuter clinic, Emergency Boarding and a Pet Food Pantry, which are essential to low-income pet owners, allowing them to provide care for their animals. Many of the animals, especially those from TNRs or who are picked up as strays, are sick and require constant socialization before being adopted. Additionally, foster volunteers are necessary to provide around-the-clock care for the many kittens Super Heroes receives throughout the year. Because of this, Super Heroes is dependent on support from volunteers and donations."

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.

Eight SUNY Oneonta students are exhibiting artwork in the "Hartwick X SUNY Oneonta Student Show 2025" at CANO (Community Arts Network Oneonta). The "Hartwick X SUNY Oneonta Student Show" is an ongoing collaboration between Hartwick's Foreman Gallery and the Galleries at SUNY Oneonta, on view until Oct. 24 at CANO in downtown Oneonta. A closing reception is set for Friday, October 24, from 5-7 p.m. at CANO. SUNY Oneonta is featuring the work of eight students who are the 2025-2026 Jean Parish Scholarship: Symon Andriyevsky, Sydney Creason, Sean Eaves, Abigail Fish, Jessie Reed, Mordue Reinhardt, Alexis Rockefeller and Zoe Zappala. Hartwick is featuring the work of art students from the Hartwick Senior Class of 2026.

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.

In the Project Space Gallery at SUNY Oneonta, Nicholas Stein, of Otego, NY, is exhibiting artwork in a solo show consisting of physically manipulated film photographs called "Voids in Humanity" until Oct. 25. Stein is a senior majoring in Art and Design at SUNY Oneonta. "Voids in Humanity consists of a series of conceptual photographs that explore the shared human experiences of absence, loss and emotion," said SUNY Oneonta Art Gallery Director Sarah Simpson. "Through the use of vague silhouette figures burnt into the photo negatives, the human form is presented both as a symbol and a personification of memory or trauma. These images act as a conduit for memory and meaning, referencing the emotional weight that various experiences can carry within us. The exhibition will encourage viewers to reflect on how society and they themselves create and neglect these so-called voids." Admission to the gallery and reception is free and open to the public, and visitors can receive parking passes through the University Police Department. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, contact Sarah Simpson at Sarah.Simpson@oneonta.edu or 607-436-2445.

For its opening production of the 2025-2026 academic year, the SUNY Oneonta Theatre Department presented "The Firebugs" with 22 students. "The Firebugs," written by Swiss playwright and novelist Max Frisch, is dark comedy that explores themes of morality, complicity and the dangers of ignoring evil. In the midst of escalating arson attacks plaguing his city, businessman Gottlieb Biedermann finds himself entangled in a precarious situation. At home, his attempt to maintain a facade of normalcy clashes with the reality of his own complacency as he unwittingly harbors potential firebugs under his roof. As the story unfolds, Biedermann's struggle to reconcile his moral stance with his actions culminates in a disastrous and ironic conclusion. "The Firebugs has a great deal to say about the times we live in," said SUNY Oneonta Professor of Theatre History, Dramatic Literature and Acting John McCaslin-Doyle. "For example, when the leading character cries out, 'I can't be scared the whole time!' it seems that between politics and advertising, the media is working overtime to keep the population in a state of anger and fear." The performance, directed by McCaslin-Doyle, was a joint production made possible by the Theatre Department faculty and staff and students from the Mask and Hammer theatre club. Rehearsals began at the beginning of the fall 2025 semester, and the show ran four times in the Hamblin Theatre on campus from Oct. 2-5. Students fulfilled cast and crew roles, including lighting and sound design and operation, props coordination, stage management, deck and construction crew, electricians and costume stitchers.

SUNY Oneonta's first cohort of ACE (Advancing Completion through Engagement) students had the chance to sharpen their networking skills in a unique, "speed dating" style event held Wednesday in the Hunt Union Ballroom. Community members volunteered their time to serve as networking mentors, meeting with students for a series of short conversations designed to simulate real-world networking scenarios. The experience helped students practice introductions, make professional connections and build confidence for future opportunities. Local leaders who served as mentors included Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek; University Council member and alumnus Will Rivera '09; Sean Lewis of the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce; and Sarah Hartmann, CEO of Vesucre and The Makery Oneonta.

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

Eight SUNY Oneonta students had their artwork on display in the Jean Parish Scholarship: 2025-2026 exhibition in the Project Space Gallery. An opening reception in the gallery was held on Thursday, Sept. 4. Jean Parish Scholarship: 2025-2026 is a group exhibition featuring work by the 2025-2026 student recipients of the Jean Parish Scholarship: Symon Andriyevsky, Sydney Creason, Sean Eaves, Abigail FIsh, Jessie Reed, Mordue Reinhardt, Alexis Reckefeller and Zoe Zappala. Faculty Emerita Jean Parish enjoyed a lengthy teaching career at SUNY Oneonta, leaving behind a gift to provide financial assistance to students studying art. One of the two endowed funds she set in place supports the Jean Parish Scholarship, distributed by the Art Department through a competitive process every fall semester. Art majors already enrolled in the program are eligible to apply during or after their first semester, and the department gives several non-renewable awards for the academic year. Admission to the gallery and reception is free and open to the public, and visitors can receive parking passes through the University Police Department. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

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

SUNY Oneonta students are getting firsthand experience in their fields of study this summer through research and creative projects on topics ranging from local lake water quality to a paleoanthropology field school abroad. With guidance and support from faculty members, 20 SUNY Oneonta students are involved in a variety of new and continuing research and creative projects on and off campus through the university's Summer Research Fellowship Program. The 2025 Summer Research Fellowship recipients receive financial support from University Advancement's Student Research and Creative Activity Grant Fund, with additional funding from the Office of Alumni Engagement. Students receive grants of up to $3,000 each, with a maximum of $6,000 for two or more students working together on a single project. In addition, students who must remain on campus for their research stay at SUNY Oneonta for free this summer. "The summer fellowships provide students with a great opportunity to do concentrated, in-depth, faculty-led research and creative projects without sacrificing their ability to earn money at a time when so many students are home working summer jobs," said Audrey Porsche, associate director of scholarly activities. The students will share their projects with the campus community during the Summer Research Fellowship Showcase on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Full Story: https://suny.oneonta.edu/news/summer-2025-student-research-fellowship-projects

Two SUNY Oneonta Physics students reached new heights after spending a week at a NASA facility in June, launching their first rocket into space. Students Ethan Biles and Jack Millen took their education beyond the classroom by joining Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Joshua Nollenberg at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. Located on Virginia's eastern shore, Wallops is home to NASA's annual RockOn! workshop, an immersive program where college students and faculty collaborate to build scientific instruments, attach them to a rocket and launch the rocket into space. Biles and Millen prepared for RockOn! weeks in advance as part of their Physics summer internship course. While NASA provided everything at the workshop from detailed instructions to hands-on assembly, Nollenberg used the lead-up time to introduce the students to numerical methods for solving physics-based problems. After completing several simulations, the team turned its focus to understanding the rocket's flight trajectory using equations of motion. "We have equations of motion that describe the position and also the angular position in polar coordinates relative to a launch site," said Nollenberg. "What we want to do is find the best trajectory to get into orbit that minimizes the amount of mass that's usedso what we do is develop a Hamiltonian [technique] that gives us a series of cost functions that describe how much cost there is to changes in our position, our angle, our velocity, our angular velocity and also the mass loss." Although RockOn! is limited to just 28 teams, each consisting of two students and one faculty member, college and university groups from across the country compete for a spot in the program. Each team was responsible for assembling scientific instruments housed within a canister, which was then stacked alongside others to form the rocket's internal structure, as provided by NASA. Once complete, a final outer "skin" was added to enclose the stacked canisters and seal the space-bound vehicle. Teams spent the first day, June 20, learning the skills they'd need for the week. They dedicated the next few days to assembly and concluded the week by watching their rocket launch on June 26. "For assembling the components, it was very similar to following a LEGO assembly manual," said Millen. "At the end of each stage, we would await an inspection from the RockOn! Team to ensure we followed all directions correctly and that our components would be 'launch-proof.'" The rocket used for RockOn! was a two-stage Terrier-Improved Orion sounding model, measuring 40 feet in length and capable of traveling at about 1000 meters per second. Sounding rockets are unmanned, suborbital vehicles designed specifically for scientific research. After the rocket touched down, Biles, Millen and Nollenberg recovered their equipment to collect data on pressure, temperature, acceleration, gyroscopic movement, magnetism, humidity and orientation. "My favorite part of the RockOn! experience would be soldering the circuits. I've always had an affinity for electronics and circuitry," said Biles. "The feeling of launching a rocket was breathtaking. The joy you get from seeing your labor in space is something else." Nollenberg selected Biles and Millen to participate in RockOn! based on their strong academic performance, but the program also served as an opportunity for growth. They deepened their understanding of numerical methods, learning to model rocket flight, simulate heat transfer and solve engineering optimization problems. These skills are essential for predicting how their electronics would perform under real-world conditions. While Biles and Millen worked from their strengths, they also developed new problem-solving skills, especially in debugging code. At first, they were surprised by how often errors occurred in longer programs, but they quickly adapted. "They grew a 'weakness' in the sense that they anticipated that they would be spending just a little bit of time debugging," said Nollenberg. "They built up a lot of intuitiveness to hunt down where the mistakes might be in the code when things were working incorrectly. They knew there might be a mistake, and that was okay. You just find a mistake and fix it, and that's something I saw grow a lot during that process." Biles and Millen received funding for their internship course through the Experiential Learning Center and the National Science Foundation. Full story with visuals: https://suny.oneonta.edu/news/physics-students-launch-rocket-nasa-facility

SUNY Oneonta students have taken the world by storm this summer, with nearly 70 embarking on a record number of immersive, international learning adventures. This year, the university offered seven different summertime faculty-led programs (FLPs), which are short-term study abroad opportunities. Lasting anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks, FLPs incorporate coursework, cultural experiences and often service-learning opportunities. Students get to apply their classroom knowledge in a completely new setting and learn unique subject matters not regularly taught on campus. This is the most extensive summer offering SUNY Oneonta has had, and the Office of Global Education hopes to offer seven FLPs again next year. "Faculty-led programs give our students a 'mini study abroad,' if you will, and foster deep academic exploration while enhancing cultural awareness, making the learning experience truly unforgettable," said Office of Global Education Director Michelle Lopez. "We're incredibly happy to be able to offer so many life-changing opportunities for experiential learning, something we prioritize at SUNY Oneonta!"

Eighteen SUNY Oneonta students were selected to serve as Dragon Guides for the 2025-2026 academic year. In addition to leading activities for new students and their parents during six daylong summer orientation sessions, Dragon Guides welcome new students into their new community by leading small groups, answering questions about the university and college life, and mentoring new students throughout their first semester. With assistance from the Office of Move-in Orientation, and Welcome Programs and the Office of Student Experience, the Dragon Guides reach out to their mentees throughout their first year at the university to revisit their goals from orientation and offer support on reaching those goals. They also sponsor connection groups for new students to participate in, which will encourage and support engagement.

Six hundred twenty-nine SUNY Oneonta students completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree following the Spring 2025 semester. Family, friends, faculty and staff gathered on campus to celebrate the scholars, athletes, activists, artists and leaders who make up SUNY Oneonta's Class of 2025 during Spring Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 17. The day before commencement, seniors took part in the Pass Through the Pillars tradition. With friends, family and 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.

Two hundred fifteen SUNY Oneonta graduate students completed the requirements for a master's degree, Certificate of Advanced Study or Advanced Graduate Certificate following the Spring 2025 semester. Family, friends, faculty and staff gathered on campus to celebrate the scholars, athletes, activists, artists and leaders who make up SUNY Oneonta's Class of 2025 during Spring Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 17.

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.