Cardelle

SUNY Oneonta President Alberto J. F. Cardelle stands in his office Friday, Oct. 8, 2021.

Here in New York and across the country, high school students and their families are worrying about the increasingly steep price of higher education. Paying for college is a real struggle for many families. One in eight New Yorkers have student loan debt, totaling about $93 billion, according to an article on AP Newswire.

For students from low-income households, the cost of college presents an even heavier burden, and a higher barrier to entry — many can’t imagine attaining a college degree without assistance. For first-generation college students or those from high schools and communities with high levels of adversity, the path to college is one that can seem complicated and overwhelming.

At SUNY Oneonta, we are committed to expanding access to higher education for all students — because we believe that education makes a difference in the life of the person and the community they live in.

Our alumni tell us that spending four years on our campus gave them more than a degree — it expanded their world view, encouraged a strong sense of civic involvement and helped them secure their economic futures. We want to make SUNY Oneonta a place where all students feel that they belong because we see a future where our graduates are anchors for our state and region’s economic success, civic stability and cultural vitality. According to the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, college graduates are half as likely to be unemployed as their peers who only have a high school degree. And typical earnings for bachelor’s degree holders are 84% higher than those whose highest degree is a high school diploma.

At the ribbon cutting for our new downtown ExCL Center, Patricia Kennedy, CEO of Springbrook, shared with the attendees that half of her organization’s educational staff were students or alumni of SUNY Oneonta. We are so proud that our efforts and mission to educate are meeting students where they need it most and serving our community so well.

SUNY Oneonta is committed to expanding access to education to all students, and this is reflected in our 2023-2024 student enrollment numbers. This school year, 35% of our students qualified for need-based federal financial aid awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to help eligible low-income students. This aid, also known as Pell Grants, covers college costs, including tuition, fees, room and board, and other educational expenses.

Meeting our commitment to students with lower incomes is even more apparent when we focus upon current student data from Otsego County and our neighboring counties of Delaware, Chenango, Schoharie, Herkimer and Madison. Forty percent of students studying at SUNY Oneonta from these six New York counties receive Pell Grant funding. It’s proof that a high-quality education is attainable, affordable, and present here in our community.

This winter, our campus was recognized as a high-flier school by the American Talent Initiative (ATI) an alliance of 137 four-year institutions with high graduation rates who are committed to enrolling, supporting, and graduating lower-income (Pell-eligible) students. SUNY Oneonta is one of the smallest public institutions, and one of just two SUNY campuses to join ATI. It is truly an honor and testament to the hard work and dedication of the faculty and staff of our university that we are meeting this goal.

Our commitment to enrolling students is just the first step. Once the students arrive on our campus, we have programs designed to support them from move-in day through graduation. We offer tailored programming to meet their unique challenges, whether it is building upon students’ time management and study habits, honing their professional awareness and social skills, connecting them with internships and other experiential learning opportunities that matter to future employers or addressing their well-being from a holistic perspective.

SUNY Oneonta leadership constantly focuses upon improving retention and graduation rates for all students. We are committed to offering all students, including those students with lower incomes, the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree, leading to stronger wages and better job prospects throughout their lives. Investing in our students is an investment in our community.

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