State University of New York at Oswego explained

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State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego)
Former Names:	Oswego Primary Teachers Training School (1861–1942) Oswego State Teachers College (1942–1948) State University of New York College at Oswego (1948–2023)
Motto:	To Learn, To Search, To Serve
Type:	Public university
Parent:	State University of New York
Endowment:	$71.78 million (2024)
President:	Peter O. Nwosu^[1]
City:	Oswego, New York
Country:	U.S.
Students:	7,636 (fall 2020)^[2]
Undergrad:	6,673 (fall 2020)
Postgrad:	963 (fall 2020)
Faculty:	1,039
Campus:	Rural, and 46 buildings on the shore of Lake Ontario
Sports Nickname:	Lakers
Colors:	Hunter green and gold^[3]
Athletics Affiliations:	NCAA Division III – SUNYAC
Affiliations:	SUNY

State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego or Oswego State) is a public university in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York. It has two campuses: historic lakeside campus in Oswego and Metro Center in Syracuse, New York.^{[4] [5]}

SUNY Oswego currently has over 80,000 living alumni. Oswego State offers more than 100 academic programs leading to bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and certificates of advanced study. It consists of four colleges and schools: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, and School of Communications, Media and the Arts.

History

SUNY Oswego was founded in 1861 as the Oswego Primary Teachers Training School by Edward Austin Sheldon,^[6] who introduced a revolutionary teaching methodology Oswego Movement in American education. In 1942 the New York Legislature elevated it from a normal school to a degree-granting teachers' college, Oswego State Teachers College, which was a founding and charter member of the State University of New York system in 1948. In 1962 the college broadened its scope to become a liberal arts college.^[6]

Campus

Founded in the city of Oswego by Sheldon to train teachers to meet pressing educational needs, the university moved to its current location on the shore of Lake Ontario in 1913 after Sheldon Hall was constructed.^[7] The current campus is located on 690acres along Lake Ontario. Development of the campus was planned by the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who designed the major buildings.

The campus today consists of 46 buildings with classrooms, laboratories, residential and athletic facilities. Recent years have witnessed the launch of a $700 million campus-wide renovation and renewal program, with the new Campus Center acting as the social hub of campus.

In the fall of 2013 the outdated Science and Mathematics building, Snygg Hall, was closed, and the new Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation was opened to all STEM students: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The building, built onto the older Piez Hall, offers views of the university's Lakeside Community and Lake Ontario from the meteorology observation deck.

The university's social hub, known as the Marano Campus Center Complex, opened in the fall of 2007, and includes new construction and renovation of the existing Swetman/Poucher complex. The $25.5 million 111492square feet Marano Campus Center portion, the new construction, includes the Deborah. F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall, 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 University Honors Program is located in the Campus Center.

The Tyler Art Gallery

Tyler Art Gallery is located within the Tyler Hall.^{[8] [9]} The gallery showcases local and traveling exhibitions, exhibitions of faculty work and student exhibitions. Tyler Art Gallery has a mission as a teaching gallery. The gallery serves as the training base for the museum studies program and allows students to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the gallery. The Student Art Exhibition Committee curate and have sole responsibility for the annual exhibition of student work. The gallery's permanent collection comprises European, African and American drawings, prints, paintings, ceramics and sculpture that date from the 18th century to the present, including several works by artist Sacha Kolin. One subsection of the permanent collection, the Grant Arnold Collection of Fine Prints, contains over 500 prints by American printmakers from the first half of the twentieth century. Tyler Hall is in the process of significant renovations, with the first phase completed for a fall 2016 reopening.^[10]

Other buildings

Physically separate from the main campus, on the other side of New York State Route 104, is the south campus, consisting of Laker Hall (indoor sports, coaching classrooms, and athletic training rooms), Romney Fieldhouse (a Quonset hut that hosted the Laker hockey program until fall 2006) and several athletic fields. In addition, more than 400acres of Rice Creek Field Station (for biological research and public programs) are on the South Campus.

West Campus, along with Laker Hall, Hewitt Hall (which hosted most of the student organizations until the Campus Center's opening in 2006), Tyler Hall, Culkin Hall (the administrative building), Penfield Library, Lanigan Hall (consisting of large lecture halls) and Mahar Hall are all built in the Brutalist style and date to the early 1970s.

On Campus residences

A variety of living options are available through 13 residences:

• Lakeside Area: Scales, Waterbury, Riggs and Johnson Halls. Riggs, Scales, Waterbury and Johnson were recently renovated; the latter is the home to the First-Year Residential Experience.
• West Campus, formerly called "New Campus": Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida and Onondaga Halls. Onondaga Hall was constructed in a suite style, allowing communal living of up to six students per suite.
• Main Campus: Hart Hall Global Living and Learning Center, Funnelle Hall, Sheldon Hall
• Mackin Complex: Lonis and Moreland Halls, located in the city of Oswego across the street from Sheldon Hall. Lonis consists of single occupancy rooms for upperclassmen, while Moreland is the traditional double occupancy dorm style for all class standings.
• The Village: Due to a shortage in residential rooms in Fall 2008 caused by higher than expected enrollment and on-campus living requests than expected, several rooms were offered in renovated conference/hotel space in Sheldon Hall. The Village, a new townhouse village with apartment living was constructed south of Glimmerglass Lagoon, and opened in the fall 2010 semester.^[11]

Fewer than from Johnson Hall is Shady Shore, the home of college founder Edward Austin Sheldon. It often has served as the residence for the college president throughout the years.

Accreditations

Middle States accredited with additional accreditations. The institution's MBA program has been internationally accredited by AACSB.^[12] SUNY Oswego's School of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Oswego's School of Business has international accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. SUNY Oswego programs in Electrical and Computing Engineering as well as Software Engineering are accredited by ABET. SUNY Oswego is one of the few universities in New York state whose art, music, and theater departments are all nationally accredited.

Schools and colleges

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences houses the departments of Anthropology, Atmospheric and Geological Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, English and Creative Writing, History, Human Development, Mathematics, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Sociology^[13]
• School of Business offers programs in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Operations Management and Information Systems, Risk Management and Insurance.^[14]
• School of Communication, Media and the Arts houses the departments of Art, Communication Studies, Film Studies, Music, Theatre.^[15]
• School of Education offers courses in Counseling and Psychological Services, Curriculum and Instruction, Education Administration, Health Promotion and Wellness, Technology, Vocational Teacher Preparation.^[16]

Library

Penfield Library is the only academic library on campus.^[17] It is named after Lida S. Penfield (1873–1956), once chair of the English department. The current 160000square feet 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 collections including the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter (Safe Haven) papers.^{[18] [19]}

Athletics

The university offers 24 intercollegiate varsity sports. SUNY Oswego's athletic teams are known officially as the Great Lakers but often referred to simply as the Lakers. Oswego is a member of NCAA Division III and teams compete in the State University of New York Athletic Conference for most sports. Women's ice hockey plays in the ECAC West, as that sport is not offered by the SUNYAC.

Oswego is traditionally a rival of Plattsburgh State. The rivalry currently manifests mostly in ice hockey; in the 1990s and early 2000s, Oswego fans would regularly throw bagels onto the ice when the Lakers scored against Plattsburgh, responding to a tradition where Plattsburgh fans threw tennis balls on the rink after goals versus Oswego. The tradition ended in 2006, after Oswego was assessed a delay of game penalty for the bagel throw: Plattsburgh scored on the ensuing power-play to win the game, which cost the Lakers a national tournament berth. In addition, the Campus Center arena was opened that year which allowed the university to more closely monitor and shut down fans who brought in bagels.^{[20] [21]} The "Puck Flattsburgh" spoonerism is a common rallying cry.^[22] Oswego and Plattsburgh also had a rivalry in football, but Oswego ceased sponsoring the sport in 1976, with Plattsburgh following in 1978.

Oswego also has a running rivalry with Cortland State in Women's Field Hockey. The teams play annually for the "Dragon Sword" trophy, donated by Oswego alumni Michael and Kimberlee (Bennett) Champitto in 1999. As of 2021, Oswego has never won the sword.

Men's

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross country
• Golf
• Ice hockey
• Indoor track and field
• Lacrosse
• Outdoor track and field
• Soccer
• Swimming and diving
• Tennis
• Wrestling

Women's

• Ice hockey
• Basketball
• Cross country
• Field hockey
• Indoor track and field
• Lacrosse
• Outdoor track and field
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming and diving
• Tennis
• Volleyball

National championships

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.^[23]

Clubs and student organizations

Oswego has over 180 clubs and organizations, many funded by the Student Association. These include: the Division I Men's Rugby team, the student-run television station WTOP, the student-run newspaper The Oswegonian, the first-ever student-run volunteer ambulance corps (SAVAC),^[24] and the Oswego State Esports Association.^[25]

Greek organizations

Oswego 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

• Kappa Sigma
• Theta Chi
• Delta Kappa Kappa (Formerly the Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Fraternity)
• Delta Sigma Phi
• Lambda Sigma Upsilon
• Psi Phi Gamma
• Phi Beta Sigma
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon
• Tau Kappa Epsilon
  • Phi Iota Alpha Mu Beta Psi
• Sigma Tau Chi^[26]
• Sigma Gamma
• Lambda Upsilon Lambda

Sororities

• Alpha Delta Eta
• Alpha Epsilon Phi
• Alpha Sigma Chi
• Omega Phi Beta
• Omicron Xi
• Phi Lambda Phi
• Phi Sigma Sigma
• Sigma Delta Tau
• Sigma Lambda Upsilon
• Mu Sigma Upsilon
• Delta Phi Epsilon
• Kappa Delta Phi N.A.S.

Other Greek organizations

• Alpha Phi Omega, national service fraternity (co-ed)
• Beta Alpha Psi, accounting/finance/information systems honor society (co-ed)
• Beta Beta Beta, national biological sciences honor society (co-ed)
• Beta Gamma Sigma, international AACSB business honor society (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)^[27]
• Lambda Pi Eta, national communications honor society (co-ed)
• Mu Beta Psi, national honorary musical fraternity (co-ed)
• Omicron Delta Epsilon, national economics honor society (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)^[28]
• Pi Sigma Alpha, national political science honor society
• Psi Chi, national honor society in psychology
• Phi Alpha Theta, national honor society in history

Traditions

• Bridge Street Run – The Bridge Street Run^[29] is a pub crawl that now takes place during the spring semester on the last Friday before finals week. 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 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.^[30] It was finally banned by the city in 2014 following a students death caused by a heroin overdose on campus;^[31] the following year, the college set up OzFest, a campus festival, to deter partiers from participating in the Bridge Street Run. However, students still continue the tradition each spring.^[32]

Presidents

• Edward Austin Sheldon (1st), 1861–1897
• Isaac B. Poucher (2nd), 1897–1913
• James C. Riggs (3rd), 1913–1933
• Ralph Waldo Swetman (4th), 1933–1947
• Harvey M. Rice (5th), 1947–1952
• Foster S. Brown (6th), 1952–1963
• James E. Perdue (7th), 1965–1977
• Virginia Radley (8th), 1977–1988
• Stephen L. Weber (9th), 1988–1995
• Deborah F. Stanley (10th) 1995–2021
• Mary C. Toale, Officer in Charge (interim), 2022–2023
• Peter O. Nwosu (11th), 2023–present

Notable faculty

• Soma Mei Sheng Frazier, author, editor
• Kenneth O. Hall, Governor-General of Jamaica (Feb 2006 – Feb 2009); served as Assistant Provost and Professor of History at Oswego
• Doug Lea, computer scientist
• Roy Lichtenstein, pop artist; taught in the Art Department 1958–1960
• Robert O'Connor, Associate Professor in Creative Writing Department; author of Buffalo Soldiers
• Leigh Allison Wilson, author and creative writing professor

Notable alumni

• Actor Al Lewis claimed that he attended the school from 1927 to 1931. Most of Lewis's claims about his early life are widely considered to be untrue.^[33]

Campus demographics

SUNY Oswego CDP is a census-designated place (CDP) covering the campus.

SUNY Oswego CDP, New York – Demographic Profile(NH = Non-Hispanic)!Race / Ethnicity!Pop 2010^[34] !Pop 2020^[35] !% 2010!% 2020

White alone (NH)	3,038	2,239	82.64%	64.88%
Black or African American alone (NH)	192	431	5.22%	12.49%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	8	23	0.22%	0.67%
Asian alone (NH)	119	176	3.24%	5.10%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	0	0.08%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	9	1	0.24%	0.03%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	62	119	1.69%	3.45%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	245	462	6.66%	13.39%
Total	3,676	3,451	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: SUNY Board of Trustees appoint Dr. Peter O. Nwosu as SUNY Oswego's next president . 6 June 2023 . 7 June 2023 . 7 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230607033946/https://www.oswego.edu/news/story/suny-board-trustees-appoint-dr-peter-o-nwosu-suny-oswego%E2%80%99s-next-president . live .
2. Web site: US News: SUNY Oswego #54 in Regional Universities North (tie) . 9 January 2023 . 26 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221026111502/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/suny-oswego-2848 . live .
3. Web site: SUNY Oswego Graphic Identity Guide for Print and Electronic Materials (September 2006). oswego.edu. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20120212175959/http://www.oswego.edu/administration/publications/pdf/graphicidguide.pdf. 12 February 2012. dead. dmy-all.
4. Web site: SUNY Oswego - Campus Map. www.oswego.edu. 3 April 2018. 19 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319164632/http://www.oswego.edu/about/visit/maps/campus/index.html. live.
5. Web site: SUNY Oswego - Metro Center . 2011-08-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807172904/http://www.oswego.edu/extended_learning/metroCenter.html . 2011-08-07 . dead .
6. Web site: Section 1 - History and governance - Human Resources. www.oswego.edu. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20140710145416/http://www.oswego.edu/administration/provost/fpsh/fps_handbook_sec1.html. 2014-07-10. dead.
7. News: SUNY Oswego changes name after being recognized as a university. syracuse Post-Standard. 5 January 2023. 5 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230105140556/https://www.syracuse.com/schools/2023/01/suny-oswego-changes-name-after-being-recognized-as-a-university.html. live.
8. Web site: Facilities - Art. 3 April 2018. 30 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150930163754/http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/departments/art/About_the_Department/facilities.html. live.
9. Web site: Tyler Art Gallery. 3 April 2018. 26 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150926090359/http://www.oswego.edu/academics/opportunities/tyler_art_gallery.html. live.
10. Web site: First phase of Tyler Hall renovation completed, open houses scheduled. 20 October 2016. 18 June 2018. 9 July 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230709024256/https://www.oswegocountynewsnow.com/oswego_county_homes/first-phase-of-tyler-hall-renovation-completed-open-houses-scheduled/article_6e726530-9700-11e6-9a6c-6394e06f9215.html. live.
11. Web site: Residence Life and Housing: The Village Townhouses . 2020-05-07 . 2020-09-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200921064813/https://www.oswego.edu/residence-life-and-housing/village-townhouses . live .
12. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170309050840/https://www.aacsb.net/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=AACSB&WebKey=00E50DA9-8BB0-4A32-B7F7-0A92E98DF5C6 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
13. Web site: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. www.oswego.edu. 3 April 2018. 10 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151210135455/http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/arts_and_sciences.html. live.
14. Web site: School of Education - School of Education. www.oswego.edu. 3 April 2018. 20 August 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100820073355/http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/business/index.html. live.
15. Web site: School of Communication, Media and the Arts - School of Communication, Media and the Arts. www.oswego.edu. 3 April 2018. 20 August 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100820073400/http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/comm_media_arts/. live.
16. Web site: School of Education - School of Education. oswego.edu. 3 April 2018. 23 August 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100823002605/http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/education/index.html. live.
17. Web site: Penfield Library. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403173417/https://www.oswego.edu/library/. live.
18. Web site: Rare Books & Manuscripts - Penfield Library. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403173444/https://www.oswego.edu/library/rare-books-manuscripts. live.
19. Web site: Local History - Penfield Library. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403112547/https://www.oswego.edu/library/local-history. live.
20. Web site: The Tradition Is Dead . PSTValumni.com . February 4, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080326183608/http://www.pstvalumni.com/blog/2008/01/tradition-is-dead.php . March 26, 2008 . dead . mdy-all .
21. Web site: Insider Fan Blog . CardinalHockeyInsider.com . February 4, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080326212538/http://www.cardinalhockeyinsider.com/blog/blog3.html . March 26, 2008 . dead . mdy-all .
22. Web site: Puck Flattsburgh: Oswego beats Plattsburgh 3-2. Steven. Petty. bleacherreport.com. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150403204414/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/336609-puck-flattsburgh-oswego-beats-plattsburgh-3-2/. live.
23. Web site: College Hockey Stats. 2006-07 Oswego State Men's Hockey Schedule & Results. 2008-02-06. 2008-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20080830070955/http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0607/schedules/oswm. live.
24. Web site: SAVAC website. 2012-11-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20120205195152/http://www.savacambulance.org/wp/. 2012-02-05. dead.
25. Web site: As online gaming trends upward, eSports Association provides community. 8 April 2019. 30 March 2020. 8 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108000846/https://www.oswego.edu/news/story/online-gaming-trends-upward-esports-association-provides-community. live.
26. Web site: Home. www.sigmatauchi.org. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403112739/http://www.sigmatauchi.org/. live.
27. Web site: Delta Phi Alpha. deltaphialpha.org. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20130509032015/http://www.deltaphialpha.org/chapterdirectory.htm. 9 May 2013. dead. dmy-all.
28. Web site: Pi Delta Phi, the National French Honor Society. Pi Delta Phi, the National French Honor Society. 3 April 2018. 2 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150702154001/http://www.augie.edu/related/pideltaphi/index.html. live.
29. Web site: Bridge Street Run. 17 March 2023. 8 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110708094040/http://bridgestreetrun.com/. live.
30. News: Curtis . Aaron . May 8, 2009 . Police keep busy during annual Bridge Street Run . https://archive.today/20120909083633/http://www.palltimes.com/articles/2009/05/09/news/doc4a04d06e125d9711623305.txt . dead . September 9, 2012 . The Palladium-Times . May 10, 2009.
31. News: Oswego Common Council votes to ban Bridge Street Run, bill SUNY Oswego for city's costs . . 2014-05-13 . 2014-05-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140514075601/http://www.localsyr.com/story/d/story/oswego-common-council-votes-to-ban-bridge-street-r/32957/aaPKW25FKEOvIA2_p3IFFg . dead . Retrieved 2014-05-13.
32. News: Ken. Sturtz. 2015-05-10. SUNY Oswego offers new event to tamp Bridge Street Run. 2023-01-09. syracuse. en. 2023-01-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20230109152617/https://www.syracuse.com/crime/2015/05/suny_oswego_offers_new_event_to_tamp_bridge_street_run_cops_make_fewer_arrests.html. live.
33. News: Al "Grandpa Munster" Lewis runs for governor. 2007-02-14. New Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20060218095845/http://newtimes.rway.com/1998/102898/cover.shtml. 2006-02-18.
34. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – SUNY Oswego CDP, New York . United States Census Bureau.
35. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – SUNY Oswego CDP, New York . United States Census Bureau.