10%

Peace Out, 2018!

This year was full of firsts and new beginnings. Here are our Top 10 moments.

By SUNY Oneonta

December 31^st, 2018

1. Science 1 gets a new name

Last March, SUNY Oneonta’s Science 1 building was renamed the “Janet R. Perna Science Building” in recognition of a distinguished alumna who announced that she will give $5 million to the college foundation. This was the largest charitable gift ever made by a graduate of SUNY Oneonta.

Perna, Class of 1970, distinguished herself as IBM Software Group's highest ranking female executive before retiring in 2006. Half of her $5 million gift will be allocated to unrestricted endowment, which funds many campus programs, including student-faculty research and creative activities, internship support, faculty development and scholarships. The other half will be restricted to the Janet Perna ’70 Women in Technology Scholarship.

2. suny oneonta hosts SURC

Our campus hosted more than 250 students and faculty from 33 different SUNY and CUNY institutions for the SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC) on April 20. The event featured presentations of research and creative activity projects in poster, oral and performance sessions, along with student professional development opportunities and offerings for faculty. Our own student presenters/co-authors numbered over 200, with 85 faculty mentors!

3. Dr. Barbara Morris appointed president

In July, Dr. Barbara Jean Morris took the helm as SUNY Oneonta's eighth college president. President Morris came to SUNY Oneonta from her position as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. She helped new students move into their residence halls in August and joined them in the traditional Pass Through the Pillars event the night before the semester began. In addition to a formal listening tour, Dr. Morris has been out and about meeting students, faculty and staff at fun campus events such as Red Day, a Holiday Cookie Bakeoff and a new My Kitchen series called "Share a Plate with the President."

4. STUDENTS HELP WITH HURRICANE RECOVERY IN PUERTO RICO

In July, SUNY Oneonta students assisted in recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria destroyed many homes and much of Puerto Rico's lush landscape. A group of 11 students went to Puerto Rico on a service-learning trip with geography faculty members Justin Hartnett and Trevor Fuller. Working with NECHAMA, a volunteer-driven nonprofit headquartered in Minnesota, the students cleaned, swept, hammered, painted, worked on roofs and more to help improve the area.

Three other students – Ivette Mendoza, Julia Beattie and Jenna Ferraro – were among a select group of SUNY students chosen to participate in the NY Stands with Puerto Rico Recovery and Rebuilding Initiative organized by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

5. SUNY chancellor visits

In July, Dr. Kristina M. Johnson, chancellor of the State University of New York system, came to campus to meet and greet faculty, staff and our new president, Dr. Morris! During a gathering at our new Welcome Center, Johnson – an engineer and former U.S. Department of Energy official – discussed SUNY's commitment to sustainability, new STEAM initiatives, and expanding online education options.

6. letters to new students from alumni

This Move-In Day, we wanted to give our new students a special welcome. Using Facebook, the college invited alumni to write a letter to the freshman or transfer student moving into their former room. We received more than 70 awesome letters from alumni who were eager to share their Oneonta memories, good luck wishes and words of advice. The project was featured in several local news outlets!

7. new living learning communities

Living Learning Communities (LLCs), wherein freshmen live and take classes alongside those with shared interests, have grown to become an important part of the SUNY Oneonta first-year experience. In one year, enrollment in LLCs jumped from 60 to 260. Our four original LLCs focused on careers in healthcare, leadership, sustainability and the outdoors, and teaching and social justice. This fall, we debuted two more LLCs, for students interested in music and community health services.

8. bryan stevenson comes to campus

Lawyer, author and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson came to campus in September to speak with students and deliver the Mills Distinguished Lecture. Stevenson's critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Just Mercy, was this year's Common Read book.

Stevenson's visit proved to be a powerful moment for many, including one student who said she realized while listening to him speak that she wants to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer to make positive change in the world.

"The thing he said that really touched me the most is that the people who are going to change the broken laws are the broken people. I cried and I could not stop crying until the lights came on."

--Shinique Smith, Africana and Latino Studies major, December '18 graduate

9. milne library renovation complete

A ribbon-cutting event celebrating the completion of the James M. Milne Library renovation project was held Sept. 18, four months ahead of schedule!

The $8 million library project, which began 18 months before, enhanced study and research areas in both number and quality. The library's bright, open spaces, modern seating and light fixtures, expanded Wi-Fi access, soundproofing panels, glass writing boards and group study rooms make it an ideal space for students to work efficiently. Argo Tea (where many of the food items are vegan and/or gluten-free) replaced Jazzman’s Café.

10. sustainability award

SUNY Oneonta was the winner of the 2018 Excellence and Innovation Award for Sustainability and Sustainable Development Award given by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Our efforts to integrate sustainability within and across the curriculum (including the creation of an Environmental Sustainability major) were lauded by AASCU as "exemplary" and "a model for other institutions." The college was recognized at AASCU's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in October.