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| This season sparks thoughts of gratitude and offers time to reflect. I am thankful for the collaboration and hard work exhibited across the entire college community so far this year. The semester has been full of meaningful discussions, enriching learning opportunities and many activities. While so much is happening, it can be hard to take a moment to look back on our collective accomplishments. I hope we can all take some time to do so with pride. I hope we also think about not only what we are grateful for, but about the families across the country suffering tragic losses due to senseless and preventable violence at places where we are supposed to feel safe like nightclubs, grocery stores and apartments shared with friends. It is important we remember that through education, we work toward a world in which hate is not tolerated, policies that protect the life and safety of all are the norm and we may have a peaceful exchange of ideas.These hateful and violent events may cause feelings of grief, fear, and loneliness. Please check in on one another and our students; everyone is managing a lot. Support is available to all members of the college community. Students can reach out to the Counseling Center and employees can contact EAP for assistance.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the dialogue sessions and other open forums this semester. They have been very valuable and I look forward to continuing the productive discussions next semester. A schedule of institution-wide sessions to be offered during the common meeting time for the spring will be released soon.
The search for our next Provost is reaching the final stages with candidates coming to campus beginning later this week. Please attend as many of the open forums as you can.
Lastly, the Chancellor has approved our designation as a university, effective January 23, 2023. We are building a communication plan that will formally announce the new designation, identify all of the necessary changes and, most importantly, outline how this sets us up for exciting opportunities in the future.
My thanks goes to everyone for your hard work and your role in making SUNY Oneonta a powerful and special place to learn and work.
Sincerely,
Alberto J.F. Cardelle
President
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Faculty Academy Learns Innovative Ways to Connect to Students
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Faculty Academy participants during Summer 2022 workshops
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| Chelsea McCraken
Assistant Professor, Communication & Media
In August 2022, a group of twelve faculty members came together to form the initial cohort of the Faculty Academy, a faculty professional development program about inclusive pedagogies.
The Faculty Academy was launched through an intensive four-day workshop focusing on creating more inclusive classroom environments. To build community and a support network, this group has been meeting monthly and will continue to work together over the next three years.
This inaugural format for the Academy has been built around the work of Paul Hernandez’s Pedagogy of Real Talk, which asks faculty to share conversations with students, connecting with them through universal themes. This group has also been reworking lessons to deliver course content in a way that relates to students’ real-world experiences. The approach is adaptable and faculty members with different teaching styles, different levels of experience with inclusive pedagogical techniques, and various fields of expertise can adopt the approach. Since the start of the 2022-2023 academic year, the majority of the cohort has implemented the first step of the method in their courses with overall positive results.
The Faculty Academy will continue to grow with two additional cohorts in 2023 and 2024. Invitations to join the 2023-2024 cohort will be available in the Spring 2023 semester. Ultimately, the goal is for the program to become one aspect of inclusive pedagogy practices across SUNY Oneonta.
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Alyssa Carbone '21 Receives Competitive SUNY ACT Scholarship
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| Recent graduate Alyssa Carbone was named a recipient of the 2022 Excellence and Student Initiative Scholarship, awarded by the State University of New York Association of Council Members and College Trustees (ACT). Alyssa graduated from SUNY Oneonta in December 2021 with a Spanish degree and is now enrolled at the University of Buffalo School of Law. This scholarship recognizes Alyssa for her outstanding academic performance and commitment to her campus community.
Excellence and Student Initiative Scholarship applicants must have achieved a dean's list GPA as of the last reporting period. They must also demonstrate that they identified a need in their campus community and provided or service or solution to address it. Three letters of recommendation were also required. The scholarship will also provide Alyssa with $1000 and a $250 donation to the charity of her choice. Only five students across the SUNY system receive this scholarship annually: two from university colleges, two from university centers and doctoral degree institutions, and one from technical colleges. All recipients were invited to an awards luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Turning Stone Casino & Resort in Verona, NY.
"In my application for the scholarship, I noted my experience in various executive diversity-related board positions in my work helping to give marginalized students a voice and promoting diversity-related events," said Alyssa. "In addition to diversity and equity work, I sought to assist domestic and international students with their transition to on-campus life, serving as an Office Assistant for the Office of Global Education and an international student mentor."
While at SUNY Oneonta, Alyssa served as secretary for Vice-Presidential Affairs for the SUNY-wide Student Assembly and on numerous campus councils, committees and task forces. She was the vice president of the Hispanic Organization for Learning Advancement club and a volunteer tutor with the Multicultural Community Center. Alyssa was also the student coordinator for the Students of Color Coalition and The Luminous Letter Project, a letter-writing advocacy project for LGBTQIA+ people in federal and state prisons and Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers. She has widely presented her research on climate change and how it affects Latinx communities in the United States, most notably as a Refugee Representation Intern at Human Rights First in NYC. She was also named one of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence recipients in 2022.
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Contributions of MOC Staff Impact All Corners of Campus
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The work of the staff from the Maintenance Operations Center (MOC) is critical to sustaining the beautiful campus that we all enjoy and that makes a great first impression to our visitors. While sometimes the impact of larger construction projects is easier to notice, the MOC staff are involved in work that is indispensable to our campus community and is a measure of the care they have for this place. Examples of just some of the projects completed in the last year include;
- Construction and installation of the Dragon Wings mural on the Chase Physical Education building
- Installation of the Live Green Wall in the lobby of the Physical Science building
- Installation of electric car charging stations on campus
- Fabrication of mounts for new cameras at the All College and Red Dragon athletic fields
- Creation of the gratitude tree at Milne Library
- The rainbow crosswalk outside of the Fine Arts Center
- Fabrication and assembly of racks for indoor and outdoor storage for Outdoor Programs at Hunt Union
- Modifications to classrooms in Bugbee Hall to expand the child care operations
- Renovations in Matteson Hall
- Summer cleaning of residence halls
- Tireless setup and tear down for all campus events
- Maintenance of sidewalks, lawns, planters and gardens in response to each changing season
Staff from the Carpenter Shop, Custodial, Electric Shop, HVAC-Plumbing Shop, Lock Shop, Automotive Garage, Paint Shop, Grounds, and the Central Heating Plant work around the clock to keep our campus running smoothly, safely, and comfortably. The constant contributions of the MOC staff are appreciated, valued and a source of institutional pride.
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Justin Hartnett Featured on Academic Minute
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| Dr. Justin Hartnett, assistant professor of geography and environmental sustainability, was recently featured on the Association of American Colleges and Universities/WAMC's podcast and radio show, The Academic Minute.
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| SUNY Oneonta Hosts NY History & Education Conference
William Walker, Associate Professor of History, Cooperstown Graduate Program
Gretchen Sorin, Distinguished Service Professor, Cooperstown Graduate Program
In October, SUNY Oneonta was proud to host the inaugural New York State History and Education Conference (NYSHEC). A statewide gathering, it attracted historians, museum professionals, teachers, archivists, librarians, students, and others committed to sharing New York’s history with broad audiences. The conference, which was co-organized by the Cooperstown Graduate Program and the Cooperstown Graduate Association, made diversity and inclusion cornerstones of its approach to state history and fostered collaboration across all sectors of our history community.
With support from key funders, including the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, and Humanities New York, conference organizers were able to provide a robust slate of offerings. A collaboration with the Yager Museum at Hartwick College enabled a lively opening reception with performance artist Jason Medicine Eagle Martinez. Breakout sessions included: “Hands-On Heritage: Working to Bring History to Life Through Museum-Community Partnerships,” “Uncovering the History of Racial Covenants in Oneida County, New York,” and “Clarissa Uprooted: Intergenerational Telling of Joy, Resilience, Resistance, & Racist Policies to Repair Harm.” Director of Social Studies for the New York City Department of Education (and SUNY Oneonta alumnus) Brian Carlin presented on the “Hidden Voices Project,” and former Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione discussed fact and fiction behind the urban legend of alligators in the city’s sewers.
A highlight of the conference was the keynote screening and discussion of the award-winning 2020 documentary Without a Whisper: Konnón:Kwe featuring director Katsitsionni Fox (Mohawk) and three of her collaborators: Wakerakatste Louise McDonald Herne (Mohawk), Michelle Shenandoah (Oneida), and Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner. Michael Galban (Mono Lake Paiute/Washoe), site manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site and the Seneca Art and Culture Center, moderated the program. Without a Whisper: Konnón:Kwe chronicles the many contributions of Indigenous women to the women’s rights movement in the United States. The film highlights how the political and spiritual power of Haudenosaunee women in their own communities influenced and inspired suffragists in ways seldom recognized by mainstream representations of the women’s rights movement. The keynote was funded in part by Humanities New York, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It was also supported by the College Senate Committee on Public Events and sponsored by the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association with financial support from the Fund for Oneonta.
Essential logistical and planning support for the conference was provided by staff from the Hunt College Union, Morris Conference Center, IT Services, Center for Racial Justice and Inclusive Excellence, Hodgdon IRC, and OAS/Sodexo. The organizers received a number of compliments on the quality of SUNY Oneonta’s facilities and the overall structure of the event. It truly was a collective effort, and the organizers wish to extend their sincere thanks to all of the students, staff and faculty who contributed to the conference’s success.
NYSHEC has five guiding objectives: 1) Encourage collaboration across the history community (and beyond); 2) Connect K-12 educators and history professionals and provide resources for teaching the complex history of New York State, the nation, and the world; 3) Imagine a more diverse and inclusive history of New York State; 4) Deliberately amplify Indigenous voices; and 5) Challenge traditional conference structures to be livelier and more welcoming. The organizers are currently working with the Office of State History, the New York State Archives and the New York State Museum in Albany to organize the next conference. Follow the conference website for updates.
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