SUNY Oneonta

December 2021 SUNY Oneonta graduate Catherin Flores Granados is one of 45 recipients of SUNY's 2022 Norman R. McConney, Jr. Award for Student Excellence. Now celebrating its third class of honorees,the award recognizes outstanding Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students for their academic merit and strength in overcoming significant personal obstacles throughout their lives. The honor is named in memory of Norman R. McConney, Jr. (1946-2016), a graduate of the University at Albany and former assistant dean for special programs at SUNY. McConney, alongside former Assembly Deputy Speaker Arthur O. Eve, helped create the EOP as a statewide program.

SUNY Oneonta mathematics major Aliyah Abdelsalam was among a select group of college students chosen to present at SUNY Oneonta's 26th annual Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, held April 1-2, 2022, on the Oneonta campus. Abdelsalam presented a paper titled "Possible Worlds: The Metaverse" at the student-organized conference, which drew philosophy student scholars from colleges and universities across the country and featured a keynote lecture by Dr. Alice Dreger titled "Courage and the Value of Disloyalty."

SUNY Oneonta accounting students have been busy this month preparing income tax returns for the campus community and beyond through the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Through the VITA program, 17 students were extensively trained and are available through April 13 to provide free basic tax return preparation and filing for SUNY Oneonta students and employees. The initiative is also open to area residents, but they must qualify for VITA, and the team is only accepting simple tax returns at this time. Working in teams of two, the students have filed tax returns for more than 20 people so far, with more appointments scheduled. Appointments can be made Mondays and Wednesdays starting at 5:15 and take place in the Hodgdon IRC building, room 120. SUNY Oneonta has been a VITA partner organization for many years, thanks to William "Jeff" Weinell, a lecturer and academic advisement coordinator for the School of Economics and Business who passed away in 2020. Weinell, who also served as a mentor and advisor to various campus clubs, initiated and grew the VITA program which, while he ran it, was held off campus and was a volunteer opportunity for a small number of students. After a year off because of COVID, the program is now being held on campus, which is a first, and has been turned into a class, which assistant professor of accounting Charlene Foley-Deno teaches. "This is an incredible experiential learning opportunity for our students," Foley-Deno said. "They are not only putting into practice what they've learned in the classroom but they're also getting to interact with community members and help simplify a process that, for many people, can be confusing and stressful." All VITA volunteers must take and pass 50-plus hours of IRS tax law training, which includes maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of all taxpayer information. In addition to requiring volunteers to certify their knowledge of the tax laws, the IRS requires a quality review check for every return prepared at a VITA site prior to filing. To schedule an appointment, contact Jesse Holland at jesse.holland@oneonta.edu or 607-436-3251.

A total of 196 students received the SUNY Oneonta 2021-2022 Susan Sutton Smith Award for Academic Excellence. The awards are given each spring to first-year students, sophomores and juniors who have earned a grade-point average of 3.9 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Artwork by 45 students is featured in SUNY Oneonta's 2022 Juried Student Art Show. Featuring more than 80 works by talented student artists, the exhibition opened March 28 and runs through May 21 in the college's Martin-Mullen Art Gallery on campus. Featured artwork was submitted by students and selected by art department faculty members. This year's award winners were chosen by invited juror Nancy Callahan, professor emeritus in the art department and a professional artist who exhibits her work nationally and internationally. The show highlights the different mediums and themes explored by students over the course of the academic year. Prints, 3D models, clay sculptures, digital designs, photographs, drawings and an assortment of mixed media make up this year's offerings. The show poster was designed by student Tara Tassio. An opening reception March 31 celebrated student talent with an award ceremony and refreshments. During the reception, Gallery Director Sarah Simpson thanked College President Dr. Alberto Cardelle, Provost Dr. Richard Lee, and Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Business Dr. Elizabeth Dunn for their continued support of the galleries. "In addition, we would like to thank the faculty who have supported these students through an incredibly difficult two years and beyond, the staff for their crucial help, and of course our students for continuing to show up and work hard despite these extraordinary circumstances," Simpson said. The Martin-Mullen Art Gallery and Martin-Mullen Creativity Awards are named after two previous faculty members, Minnie Martin and James Mullen. Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SUNY Oneonta's Marketing Club (OnMark) was named one of the Top 15 Collegiate Chapters of the Year by the American Marketing Association (AMA) at the 2022 AMA's Annual International Collegiate Conference held in Chicago recently. Ten OnMark students attended the in-person conference in Chicago from March 17-19 and participated in various competitions and networking activities. Under the advisement of Associate Professor of Marketing Dr. Wilson Lin, OnMark received its "Top 15" recognition among 400 competing colleges and universities. This is the seventh year in a row OnMark has placed in the Top 15. During the conference, students attended inspiring keynote presentations, chapter leadership sessions, faculty paper sessions and competitions, and also took advantage of networking opportunities and career development experiences. Students said it was a great chance to meet new people from schools across the country and establish new connections. For the competition, chapters are judged based on their accomplishments. Each chapter submits an annual report detailing the fundraiser events, membership drives, community service events, career development workshops, and other AMA competitions in which the club participated throughout the year. Lin said his students are "very deserving" of this prestigious recognition. The American Marketing Association is a professional association for marketing professionals with 30,000 members as of 2012.

More than 800 students have been awarded scholarships at SUNY Oneonta. The college's scholarship funds total over $60 million and are the result of contributions from donors, corporations and foundations. It is the largest endowment among SUNY comprehensive four-year colleges.

Fifteen SUNY Oneonta students are getting first-hand experience in the growing field of social media marketing and having a blast doing it as founding members of the college's TikTok team. The student-run social media channel, started in October, is designed to offer a peek into what life is like at SUNY Oneonta, from which classes to take to can't-miss meals at the dining halls, all from students' perspective. The channel currently has 1,116 followers. As of January, the most-viewed TikTok video (which references getting sushi on campus) has more than 267,000 views. Another popular TikTok spotlights the college's on-campus thrift store. With more than 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok remains one of the fastest growing social media apps in the world. Since roughly half of the content creators on the app are under the age of 28, more and more colleges and universities are getting in on the trend. For the eight team members who are majoring in either Communication Studies or Media Studies, the experience offers an opportunity to advance content creation and video production skills that could potentially lead to a job in the growing social media marketing industry. Learn more about SUNY Oneonta's TikTok team and become a follower at https://www.tiktok.com/@sunyoneonta.

Artwork by 41 students is featured in SUNY Oneonta's Virtual Student Juried Art Show. The exhibition, featuring nearly 50 works by student artists, is presented continuously online via a virtual space. Featured artworks were chosen from an open jury process and works entered by the art faculty. Painting, drawing, sculpture, digital print, digital video, and an assortment of mixed media make up this year's offerings.

This spring, SUNY Oneonta welcomed over 200 new students hailing from across New York, New Jersey and two countries.

More than 300 students graduated from SUNY Oneonta. Students who completed the requirements for bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and certificates of advanced study.

Seven SUNY Oneonta students made the most of winter break during an adventurous field trip out west for their upper-level course Field Geology of Plate Boundaries (GEOL 343). The 13-day trip, led by professors Keith Brunstad and Les Hasbargen, let students map rocks and geologic structures associated with the plate boundary between the North American and Pacific plates in Southern California, near Anza Borrego. This is the location of the San Andreas Fault. Amid the eroding mountains and expansive desert views, students practiced recording geologic observations, taking field notes and sketches, creating maps and geologic cross-sections, and presenting summaries of their findings. During their downtime, students hiked, took in colorful sunsets, cooked their meals on an open fire under the stars, and camped in tents. Students said the trip provided invaluable experience, allowing them to use what they've learned about geologic mapping in prior coursework in a real-world context, as well as a chance to see a whole new part of the world.

A total of 316 SUNY Oneonta students earned Provost's List honors for the fall 2021 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.

A total of 1,411 SUNY Oneonta students earned Dean's List honors for the fall 2021 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.

Students from SUNY Oneonta met online with alum Katie O'Gara '18, publicity assistant at Island Records, for the college's Mixing Board to Management alumni networking event during the Fall 2021 semester. The Mixing Board to Management event is designed to inspire students to jumpstart their careers by beginning to build their professional networks. It is funded by the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association through charitable gifts to the Fund for Oneonta.

Students from SUNY Oneonta met with alum Abby Watson '15, business planning manager at Charter Communications, and Corinne Hoffman '06, Marketing and Campaign Management, IBM, during the Fall 2021 semester for the college's annual Backpacks to Briefcases alumni networking event. Backpacks to Briefcases is designed to inspire students to jumpstart their careers by beginning to build their professional networks. It is funded by the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association through charitable gifts to the Fund for Oneonta.

Students from SUNY Oneonta met online with alumni professionals in the theater industry as part of the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association's Goodrich to Broadway event. Students interacted with professionals such as Hal Luftig '79, owner and theatrical producer at Hal Luftig Company, Dana Kuznetzkoff '83, - head of creative at Fourth Agreement, Inc., Kyle Beckley '08, co-founder and producer at Full Out Creative, Nicole van Jaarsveld '09; production stage manager at Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Aubrey Ellis '12, properties manager at University of Connecticut The Goodrich to Broadway event is designed to inspire students to jumpstart their careers by beginning to build their professional networks. It is funded by the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association through charitable gifts to the Fund for Oneonta.

SUNY Oneonta recently recognized students who have attained gold level leadership milestones through the college's LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) 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 college 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 attain 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. Completion of 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.

SUNY Oneonta recently recognized students who have attained silver level leadership milestones through the college's LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) 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 college 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 attain 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. Completion of 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.

SUNY Oneonta recently recognized students who have attained platinum-level leadership milestones through the college's LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) 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 college 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 attain 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. Completion of 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.

The Pre-Health Professions Office congratulates Sara Pipino, a December 2021 graduate, on her acceptance into Russell Sage's Doctor of Physical Therapy Program starting in 2022. Sara has excelled academically during her time at SUNY Oneonta and has been involved in service both on and off-campus while also working part-time as a support aid at A.O. Fox Hospital. More information about SUNY Oneonta's partnership with Russell Sage College can be found on the Pre-Health Professions Webpages https://suny.oneonta.edu/pre-health-professions

Thirty-four students volunteered as part of SUNY Oneonta's Community Clean-Up Day through the college's Center for Social Responsibility and Community (CSRC) on Oct. 24.

SUNY Oneonta recently recognized students who have attained silver level leadership milestones through the college's LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) 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 college 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 attain 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. Completion of 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.

SUNY Oneonta recently recognized students who have attained gold level leadership milestones through the college's LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) 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 college 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 attain 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. Completion of 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.

Over 80 SUNY Oneonta students received the Richard Siegfried Student Award this semester for earning a total GPA of 3.9 or higher. In order to be eligible to receive the Richard Siegfried Student Award, a student must be a full-time freshman or transfer student with a total GPA of 3.9 or higher. The award is named in memory of Richard K. Siegfried, SUNY Oneonta Professor of Theatre from 1958 until 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.

SUNY Oneonta's student team earned a silver medal at this year's International Genetically Engineered Machine Giant Jamboree (iGEM) for their project, "SNflaPs." In this multidisciplinary competition, team members work together to create a solution to an everyday problem using the tools of synthetic biology. In addition to engineering, building, testing, and refining their system, teams must also consider the human and environmental aspects of their work and produce a promotional video, a 20-minute presentation, and a wiki documenting their work. SUNY Oneonta's team worked to produce a field-deployable genetic testing system that can be used to support informed breeding on small dairy farms. They competed against 352 teams from over three dozen countries. More details about synthetic biology, iGEM, and the SUNY Oneonta team can be found on the campus iGEM website. The team's project can be viewed on their 2021 iGEM competition wiki page.

SUNY Oneonta student Samuel Rodriguez, a third-year Political Science and Criminal Justice major has been named as one of 21 new SUNY Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Student Ambassadors. The Student Ambassadors are current EOP students at colleges across the SUNY system who will advise SUNY leadership on strengthening the program to increase access, strengthen support for current EOP students, and increase retention and graduation rates. Samuel says he is looking forward to meeting other EOP students from across the state to help even more students seek opportunities through EOP.

Ten students were elected to SUNY Oneonta's Student Association Activities Council. The Activities Council is funded by the college's Student Association with a share of the student activity fee and by the Student Life fee. The Council works to provide large-scale programming to SUNY Oneonta students while supporting the college's mission to "nurture a community where students grow intellectually, thrive socially, and live purposefully."

SUNY Oneonta recently recognized students who have attained platinum-level leadership milestones through the college's LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) 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 college 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 attain 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. Completion of 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.

SUNY Oneonta recently recognized students who have attained gold level leadership milestones through the college's LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) 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 college 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 attain 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. Completion of 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.