Thousands of students are arriving for the start of the 2008-09 academic year at the four area colleges, and three presidents are among the ranks of newcomers.
First-year and returning students will find new or renovated buildings, on-going construction projects and some additional or revised educational programs, officials said.
``We are excited about the upcoming school year,'' said Francis Borrego, spokesman at Hartwick College in Oneonta. ``It's been a busy summer on campus, and it will be a busy year at Hartwick.''
In Oneonta, retailers have been preparing for the arrival of students, said Nancy Scanlon, co-owner of Sport Tech and chairwoman of the Main Street Oneonta merchants group. Students buy pizza, coffee, school supplies and other merchandise, she said, and though reports indicate their spending may be down, they do have a huge economic impact locally.
The merchants will welcome students with Downtown 101 on Main Street from noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, Scanlon said. A band performance, a scavenger hunt and a fashion show will be among activities, she said.
Hartwick is among campuses with a president hired this year. Margaret L. Drugovich started July 1, and the faculty and staff are implementing a new curriculum this autumn _ Liberal Arts In Practice. Classes start Sept. 2.
Classes at the State University College at Oneonta will start Wednesday, and its president, Nancy Kleniewski started July 14.
At SUNY Cobleskill, where classes start today, Donald P. Zingale became president in May. At SUNY Delhi, Candace Vancko has been president since June 1999, and college officials report capacity enrollment at the school, which has a class start date of Sept. 1.
SUCO
In Ford Hall at the State University College at Oneonta, freshman roommates Becca Scheftic, 18, and Melanie Ordway, 17, were arranging possessions in their room Sunday and trying to figure out if they had brought too many or too few belongings. Both from Dryden, they requested to be roommates but had different reasons for choosing SUCO.
The education department has a good reputation, said Scheftic, who is interested in early childhood education. And at about a 90-minute drive from Dryden, the location is away from home but not too far, she said.
Ordway said studying nutrition is among reasons she decided to attend SUCO.
``I think it's pretty here,'' Ordway said, with smile.
Melanie is the first of four children to leave home, according to Jepson Ordway, her father, who said he probably won't feel her departure until the drive home.
``She'll do just fine,'' Ordway said. ``She's well-prepared.''
SUCO planned on 90 fewer freshmen because Tobey Hall is being renovated, said Carol Blazina, college spokeswoman. She said 1,015 freshmen, who are required to live on campus, and 535 transfer students, 70 more than last year, are expected to enroll this autumn, she said. SUCO is offering a new program to award a Master of Science in Education in educational technology, she said.
Kirstin Hose, 21, a senior and resident adviser, was checking students in at Ford Hall. The dormitory opened at 7 a.m., she said, and students were to attend a hall-wide meeting at 7 p.m. for an official welcome and a review of emergency procedures. Parents of upperclass students dropped off their children with a ``Ready?... Go. ... Goodbye,'' she said.
``If they're a freshman parent,'' Hose said, ``they're a lot more wary.''
Kleniewski, in a message on the SUCO website, said the teaching and learning process is the college's priority.
``As a friendly and inclusive campus community, we dedicate ourselves to providing an exceptional educational experience for our students at an affordable cost,'' she said.
Annual tuition at SUNY schools is $4,350.
Hartwick College
Hartwick's class of 2012 is expected for orientation Labor Day weekend and will have about 450 to 455 students, about the same number of freshmen as a year ago, Borrego said. Of about 1,480 students, 1,200 live on campus.
Annual tuition at Hartwick, a private college, is $31,330 for students entering in fall 2007 or later.
Hartwick faculty worked on the framework of the curriculum during the past five years. Liberal Arts In Practice builds on Hartwick's strengths "" a hands-on, personalized education with a connection to the global community and experiential learning opportunities. Borrego said the previous general education curriculum, Curriculum XXI, served the college well for more than 20 years.
At Hartwick, this fall will be the first time classes are held in Golisano Hall, a $12.6 million academic facility that opened in June. The college spent more than $3 million in other campus improvements during the summer, Borrego said. Bresee Hall, the first building on the Hartwick campus built in 1928, has been renovated, he said, and Binder Gym improvements include a new gym floor, lighting and bleachers.
Hartwick has two thematic programs that will have events open to the community. ``Balance'' is the academic and co-curricu1ar focus that will address fun and wellness, spirituality, work and life, civic engagement, and sustainability. The ``Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial: Honoring the Role of Hartwick College Personalities and Local Citizens in the Journey to Freedom'' will highlight local history and its impact.
SUNY Delhi
At SUNY Delhi, where classes start Labor Day, enrollment is expected to meet or break the record of 2,825 set in 1974, officials said, and with the campus operating at maximum capacity, the college is reaching out to teach students off campus and online.
And an off-campus apartment-style residence build by the College Foundation offers an upscale option for select students.
SUNY Delhi enrollment is about 2,800 students in degree programs, plus about 190 high school students taking classes, Craig Wesley, dean of enrollment services, said.
Applications had risen to 5,877 as of a week ago, up by about 19 percent from 4,952 a year ago, Wesley said. Two years ago, applications had been 4,342, up from 3,962 the previous year, he said.
With the higher number of applications, the college has been more selective in offering enrollment to students, Wesley said. For this autumn, of 5,877 applicants, 3,505 or 59.6 percent were offered admission, he said, and a year ago, of 4,952 applications, 3,374, or 68.1 percent, were accepted.
The college's 20 programs with fixed enrollments, based on factors such as lab space, are running at maximum capacity, Wesley said. The college's online course for registered nurses to earn bachelor's degrees, which started in January 2007, is projected to enroll 180 students this fall, he said.
Wesley said SUNY Delhi growth is focusing on enrolling students in its bachelor's programs in hotel and restaurant management, travel and tourism and its newly offered business management at Schenectady County Community College and online courses in nursing and veterinary science technician studies. With such educational opportunities, the State University College of Technology at Delhi is among institutions ``redefining what it means to go to college,'' he said.
``There are a lot of good things happening here,'' Wesley said. ``It's a great time to be a student.''
SUNY Delhi and SUNY Cobleskill are among 22 SUNY schools participating in the China 150 Learning Program, which is enrolling students from the earthquake-ravaged Sichuan Province for the academic year. SUNY Delhi will be host to four students, and 18 students will study at SUNY Cobleskill.
SUNY Cobleskill
Students are pre-registered in some of SUNY Cobleskill's new baccalaureate degree programs, including communications in technology, turf-grass management, agriculture biotechnology, and landscape contracting, and college officials previously reported increases in enrollment overall, by transfer students and in full-time bachelor's degree programs.
Renovations of Frisbie Hall, the campus' first building, will begin this fall. The hall, constructed in 1913, is used primarily for classes and administrative space, and the 18-month project will include installing a slate roof, elevator and brick work on the exterior. The renovations are funded by capital project funds.
Cobleskill Auxiliary Services is expected to open a downtown cafe, Coby's. The cafe will feature Pride of New York products in addition to coffee, bagels and pastries, officials said.
Also this summer, a card access system was installed at each residence hall. The system will allow students to use their identification to enter their residence halls and the Brickyard Point, the student union, campus officials said, and the program and a new surveillance system will help residence hall directors and assistants monitor buildings.
CollegeStudent bodyClasses start
SUCO5,889Wednesday
SUNY Delhi3,035Sept. 1
SUNY Cobleskill2,592Today
Hartwick College1,480Sept. 2
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