State University of New York at Oswego

State University of New York at Oswego

SUNY Oswego logo
Motto	To Learn, To Search, To Serve
Type	Public
Established	1861
Endowment	$8.8 million (as of 2008) [1]
President	Deborah F. Stanley
Academic staff	1,039
Undergraduates	7,400
Postgraduates	1,100
Location	Oswego , New York , USA
Campus	Rural, 700 acres (2.8 km2) and 46 Buildings on the shore of Lake Ontario
Athletics	24 teams
Colors	Hunter Green   and Golden Yellow
Nickname	Lakers
Website	www.oswego.edu

The State University of New York at Oswego, also known as SUNY Oswego and Oswego State, was founded in 1861 as Oswego Normal School by Edward Austin Sheldon and became the New York State Teachers College at Oswego in 1948 with the creation of the State University system. In 1962 Oswego broadened its scope to become an arts and sciences institution. SUNY Oswego has over 50,000 living alumni. SUNY Oswego now comprises four schools: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the School of Business; the School of Education; and the new School of Communications, Media and the Arts, launched in 2008. Oswego State is located on the shore of Lake Ontario in the Town and City of Oswego, New York.

Campus

Originally founded in the city of Oswego, the college moved to its current location on the shore of Lake Ontario in 1913 after Sheldon Hall was constructed. The current campus is located on 690 acres (2.8 km²) along Lake Ontario. Development of the campus was planned by the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, who designed the major buildings.

The campus today consists of 46 buildings with classroom, laboratory, residential, and athletic facilities. Recent years have witnessed the launch of a $250 million campus-wide renovation and renewal program, with the new Campus Center acting as the social hub of campus.

Campus as viewed from Glimmerglass Lagoon

Campus Center Complex

The college's new social hub known as the Campus Center Complex, which opened in fall 2007, includes new construction and renovation of the existing Swetman/Poucher complex. The $25.5 million, 111,492-square-foot (10,357.9 m²) Campus Center portion, the new construction, includes a convocation hall and arena, food court, box office, fireplace lounge, breakfast nook and reservable spaces. The renovated portions of the building house The Compass (student services); The Point (student involvement); a student media center with WNYO, WTOP and The Oswegonian newspaper; Copy Center; and Freshëns Cafe. Academic departments in the Campus Center include English and Creative Writing, Modern Languages and Literatures and Philosophy, while the Office of Learning Services stands ready to assist students who need help outside the classroom. In addition, the College Honors Program is located in the Campus Center.

Other buildings

Physically separate from the main campus is the south campus, consisting of Laker Hall (indoor sports, coaching classrooms, and athletic training rooms), Romney Fieldhouse (home of the Laker hockey program until fall 2006), several athletic fields and the more than 400 acres (1.6 km²) of Rice Creek Field Station (for biological research and public programs).

A variety of living option are available through 11 residence halls:

• Lakeside Area: Scales, Waterbury, Riggs and Johnson Halls. Riggs and Johnson were recently renovated; the latter is the home to the First-Year Residential Experience.
• West Campus, commonly called "New Campus": Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida and Onondaga Halls
• Main Campus: Hart Hall Global Living and Learning Center, Funnelle Hall
• Mackin Complex: Lonis and Moreland Halls

Due to a shortage in residential rooms in fall 2008 caused by greater enrollment and on-campus living requests than expected, several rooms were offered in renovated conference/hotel space in Sheldon Hall. A new townhouse village with apartment living is under construction south of Glimmerglass Lagoon, with a fall 2010 opening date projected.

Fewer than 100 feet (30 m) from Johnson Hall is Shady Shore. Historically, Shady Shore was the home of college founder Dr. Edward Austin Sheldon. It has served as the residence for the college president throughout the years, including the tenth and current president, Deborah F. Stanley.

Accreditations and Awards

SUNY Oswego has experienced numerous accreditations and awards throughout the past two decades, including the most recent recognition by Colleges of Distinction. This prestigious organization commended SUNY Oswego for its continual growth and strong academics. The organization cited SUNY Oswego as having “Liberal arts and career directed studies, in a dynamic, interactive and supportive environment.” Also, “The possibilities are endless with an extensive choice of academic options and majors, an outstanding faculty, and challenging courses that encourage the exchange of ideas. Oswego opens a front door on the future with internships and study abroad opportunities that consistently rate among the highest in the SUNY system.” .

SUNY Oswego's School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Oswego's School of Business has international accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Oswego is one of the few colleges in New York state whose art, music and theatre departments are all nationally accredited.

SUNY Oswego's Graduate School of Business has been named by the Princeton Review as one of the best business schools in America.

In addition to SUNY Oswego’s vibrant community and encouraging professors, students are offered one of the largest overseas study programs in the northeast . Continents from around the globe contain universities that directly work with SUNY Oswego to provide students with internship opportunities and valuable learning experiences.

Schools and Colleges

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Anthropology Department
  • Department of Biological Sciences
  • Department of Chemistry
  • Computer Science Department
  • Earth Sciences Department
  • Economics Department
  • Department of English & Creative Writing
  • History Department
  • Mathematics Department
  • Department of Modern Languages
  • Philosophy Department
  • Physics Department
  • Political Science Department
  • Department of Psychology
  • Public Justice Department
  • Sociology Department
  • Interdisciplinary Departments: African-American Studies, American Studies, Applied Mathematical Economics, Cognitive Science, Geochemistry, Global and International Studies, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Science, Language and International Trade, Linguistics, Native American Studies, Philosophy-Psychology, Women's Studies.
• School of Business
• School of Communication, Media and the Arts
  • Art Department
  • Department of Communication Studies
  • Music Department
  • Theatre Department
  • The CMA also collaborates with other Oswego schools on programs that include Cinema and Screen Studies, Information Science, Women's Studies, Creative Arts Therapy, Arts Management
• School of Education
  • Counseling and Psychological Services Department
  • Curriculum and Instruction Department
  • Educational Administration Department
  • Department of Health Promotion and Wellness
  • Department of Technology
  • Department of Vocational Teacher Preparation

Library

Penfield Library, SUNY Oswegois an academic library that supports the instructional, research and service goals of the State University of New York College at Oswego, one of 64 campuses of the State University of New York. The library is named after Lida S. Penfield (1873-1956), once Chair of the English Department. The current 160,000 square foot facility opened in 1968, replacing a library of the same name in what is now Rich Hall. The library is home to the Millard Fillmore and Marshall Family Papers and numerous Digitized Collectionsincluding the Emergency Refugee Shelter at Fort Ontario (Safe Haven) and the Millard Fillmore papers.

Penfield Librarians provide Research help for SUNY Oswego students through "Ask a Librarian" services in a variety of methods, including chat, e-mail, phone, in-person, and through extended appointments with subject librarians.

Sports

Oswego offers 24 intercollegiate sports.

On March 18, 2007, the Oswego State men's ice hockey team won the 2006-07 NCAA Division III ice hockey National Championship, the first NCAA championship ever for the school.

Fall Sports

• Cross Country (men's and women's)
• Field Hockey
• Men's Golf
• Men's Soccer
• Volleyball
• Women's Soccer
• Women's Tennis

Winter Sports

• Men's Ice Hockey
• Indoor Track and Field (men's and women's)
• Men's Basketball
• Swimming and Diving (men's and women's)
• Women's Basketball
• Women's Ice Hockey
• Wrestling

Spring Sports

• Baseball
• Men's Golf
• Men's Lacrosse
• Men's Tennis
• Softball
• Outdoor Track and Field (men's and women's)
• Women's Lacrosse

Clubs and Student Organizations

Oswego has around 150 clubs and organizations, some funded by the Student Association. These include the student-run television station WTOP, the first ever student run ambulance (SAVAC), the student-run radio station WNYO-FM, the Oswegonian newspaper, community service clubs, political organizations, the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club Improv Comedy Troupe, Club Baseball, the Oswego Jugglers, Oswego Women's Rugby, as well as groups that appeal to those with specific interests or hobbies such as Paintball Club, the Christian groups BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ) and CCM (Christian Campus Ministries), the theater group Blackfriars, the gamer club Storytellers' Guild (STG), the Pro-Wrestling Club (PWC), College Democrats and Republicans, and the local chapter of the American Society for Information Science and Technology.

Greek Organizations

Oswego also has an array of Greek organizations (fraternities, sororities, or mixed) from both national and locally recognized chapters. Each semester, eligible students can "rush" a Greek organization of their choice.

Fraternities

• Delta Kappa Kappa
• Delta Sigma Phi
• Phi Kappa Tau
• Psi Phi Gamma The oldest Greek organization on campus. Founded by Max Ziel in 1925.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon
• Sigma Gamma
• Sigma Tau Chi
• Zeta Beta Tau

• Zeta Chi Zeta

Sororities

• Alpha Delta Eta
• Alpha Epsilon Phi
• Alpha Sigma Chi
• Delta Phi Epsilon
• Omega Phi Beta
• Omicron Xi
• Phi Lambda Phi
• Phi Sigma Sigma
• Sigma Delta Tau

Other Greek Organizations

• Beta Alpha Psi, Accounting/Finance/Information Systems Honor Society (co-ed)
• Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity (co-ed)
• Delta Phi Alpha The National German Honorary Society for outstanding students of the German language. (Nationale Deutsche Ehrenverbindung; Oswego Chapter: Zeta Xi, 1967)[2]
• Mu Beta Psi National Honorary Musical Fraternity (co-ed)
• Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society
• Phi Kappa Phi National All-Disciplinary Honorary Society of Academic Excellence
• Pi Delta Phi The National French Honor Society for academic excellence in French (Oswego Chapter: Theta Delta, 1975).
• Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society
• Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology

Traditions

• Bridge Street Run - Bridge Street Run is a pub crawl that now takes place during the spring semester the last Friday before finals week starts. Students put on white t-shirts, start at the Front Door Tavern on East 10th and Utica Streets, and make their way down Bridge Street (New York State Route 104) in the City of Oswego. They stop at all participating bars along the way on or within a block of Bridge Street to have their shirts signed. The event has been a tradition in various forms at SUNY Oswego for over 30 years. The college officially discourages the practice.
• Quest - A symposium held by the college each year in April that allows students and faculty to present scholarly works and projects. Students usually work in collaboration with a faculty mentor in preparation of their project. The series also features a keynote speaker discuss some topical issue in a field such as technology, science or politics.

Notable Faculty (Current and Former)

• Doug Lea, current Interim Chair of Computer Science, world famous expert on concurrent programming, (co-)author of the Interest Group
• Roy Lichtenstein, World famous Pop Art Artist taught in the Art Department from 1958 - 1960
• Dr. David C. Conrad, Emeritus Professor of History, author of several books on Africa; SUNY Chancellor Award Winner 2001. Is President of Mande Studies Association and a fellow at the Royal Geographic Society.
• Dr. Bruce Altschuler, Former Chair of Political Science Department and 2007 Winner of SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activity. Has authored books and articles on the presidency of Lyndon Johnson, political campaigns and presidential politics.
• Robert O'Connor, Associate Professor in Creative Writing Department (Author of Buffalo Solders)
• Jay Button, a faculty master honored for his work done with first year students.
• Sir Kenneth O. Hall, current Governor-General of Jamaica, served as Assistant Provost and Professor of History at Oswego.
• Ron Greaff - Also known to many as Ron Hastings from channel 3.

Notable alumni

Name Class year Notability References Ken Auletta Journalist for The New Yorker Mark Allen Baker Author, writer, editor, manuscript & document expert Frederick R. Bieber Harvard university professor and DNA expert Lou Borrelli Cable Television Pioneer, founder of SUNY Oswego's annual media summit Rob Cesternino Contestant on Survivor: The Amazon Linda Cohn ESPN sportscaster Dr. Joseph F. Coughlin 1986 Director of MIT's AgeLab. Was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the "12 People who are Changing Your Retirement." He is a graduate of the school of Arts and Science. Robin Curtis Actress most well known as Lt. Savikk in Star Trek III and Star Trek IV Julia DeVillers 1989 Author of books for children and teens Fred Festa 1981 President and CEO of W. R. Grace and Company. Russell Findlay 1989 Marketing Executive at Unilever and Pepsi. Launched Sierra Mist and Diet Pepsi Max. Founder of School of Business Annual Alumni Symposium Dr. Frank E. Fish 1975 Marine Biologist, President of WhalePower Michael A. Hoffman II Conspiracy theorist and historical revisionist, controversial for Holocaust denial Josh Jeanneret Plays pro wrestler J.D. Love for 2CW Wrestling Wayne Levi Professional golfer Steve Levy 1987 ESPN sportscaster Kandise N. Lucas Special Education advocate, educational reformist, and writer Christopher Maloney 1991 Bass guitarist for Dweezil Zappa, Hardline; Sunset Records recording artist Alice McDermott 1975 Novelist and winner of the 1998 National Book Award Heraldo Muñoz Ambassador to the United Nations for Chile Marianne Matuzic Myles U.S. Ambassador to the Nation of Cape Verde Robert O'Connor Author Al Roker Weatherman for NBC's Today Show Pete Sears Member of the 1972 United States Olympic Hockey Team (Goalie) Jerry Seinfeld Never Graduated Famous actor. Attended SUNY Oswego through his sophomore year before transferring to and graduating from Queens College Julie Smith President of Bozzuto Management Company and a Partner of The Bozzuto Group Scott Sullivan 1983 Former WorldCom CFO Melissa O'Donnell Writer; Saturday Night Live Laurie Zaks President of Beacon Television; former Senior Vice President at UPN Anastasia Toulis 2004 Renowed Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse Marc Nakdai 2001 Morgan Stanley / Global Wealth Management

Television meteorologists

Many Upstate New York TV meteorologists are graduates or attendees of SUNY Oswego.

Name Class year Notability References Chris Brandolino 1996 WSYR-TV, Syracuse, formerly of WSTM-TV Ryan Coyle 2008 WNEP Scranton, formerly of WIVT Binghamton and WWTI Watertown Dave Eichorn N/A Formerly of WSYR-TV, Syracuse Thomas Esterguard 2008 WXXA-TV, Albany, formerly of WTVH Syracuse Dave Longley 1987 WSYR-TV, Syracuse Aaron Mentkowski 1997 WKBW-TV, Buffalo Robert Metcalfe 2006 WROC-TV, Rochester Vanessa Richards 2008 WETM-TV, Elmira, formerly of WSTM-TV Matt Stevens WSTM-TV, Syracuse

External links

• Official SUNY Oswego Web site
• SUNY Oswego Student Blogs
• Student Association Web Site
• Lewis O'Donnell Media Summit Web site
• Shaun Cassidy Fan Club Improv Comedy Troupe on campus
• SUNY Oswego official Facebook fans page
• Jerry Seinfeld at SUNY Oswego's Scales Hall
• A mention of Jerry Seinfeld's time spent at SUNY Oswego