Welcome back, Red Dragons!
I hope you had an energizing summer! I’m thrilled to welcome you to the 2024-2025 academic year at SUNY Oneonta, the 135th year of our great institution.
As you settle into your first week of classes, finalize your living spaces, and connect with new and familiar faces, I encourage you to explore all the possibilities on campus. Be sure to participate in the events and other activities planned in the coming weeks. I hope to see you at a few of them. I especially look forward to seeing you at the free Opening Picnic for lunch outside Milne Library tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 26.
This year is filled with exciting opportunities.
This academic year, we’ll be celebrating our university’s 135th anniversary. Established in 1889 as the Oneonta Normal School, SUNY Oneonta has been a beacon of academic excellence, producing alumni who have made significant contributions in the arts, sciences, business, and more.
Later in the semester, we will welcome Cristina Henríquez, author of our 2024 Common Read, "The Book of Unknown Americans," for the Mills Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 21. Copies of the book will be available for you to pick up for free during Red Day, Friday, Aug. 30, on the quad.
Additionally, we will begin implementing the “Forward Momentum Agenda,” our newly completed strategic action plan. This agenda ensures that our strategies for supporting students, faculty, staff, our university community, and the local region remain current and adaptable to changes in higher education.
This fall, our campus will also be active with events related to the upcoming state and national elections. SUNY Oneonta is a neutral ground where we encourage discourse, debate, and the exchange of diverse ideas, philosophies, and beliefs. However, it's important to engage in these debates respectfully and constructively. Passionate discussions are welcome, but ensure you are following the policies outlined in the Code of Student Conduct and Maintenance of Public Order rules. Our policies ensure equal access to public forums, fostering constructive dialogue that values all viewpoints and promotes collective progress.
I want each of you to know that you belong here at SUNY Oneonta, whether you’re just beginning your journey or returning. I’m confident you will have a transformative experience as long as you seize the opportunities to learn and get involved. Our core value of inclusivity is paramount; there is no place for hate here, and we will not tolerate racist or bigoted behavior. To reinforce our commitment to a welcoming environment, the Code of Student Conduct explicitly lists bias acts as prohibited conduct alongside violations of our institutional policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures. SUNY Oneonta will not tolerate hate against any member or group within our community. Please remember that there are ways to report any such behavior so the university can properly investigate and address it.
I am excited for the start of classes and to see our campus come alive with student activity. I hope to see you around campus—please feel free to stop me to say hello or discuss any questions or concerns. You can also reach out to my office anytime at president@oneonta.edu.
Sincerely,
