University, Port Partner on New Grain Lab Facilities to Feed Opportunities

SUNY Oswego Now Recognized as a University

SUNY Oswego is now formally recognized as a university. The university will continue to be known as SUNY Oswego, but its official state education title will change from “State University of New York College at Oswego” to “State University of New York at Oswego.”

This legal name change, effective Jan. 1, 2023, was approved by Interim SUNY Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley, who was delegated authority by the State University of New York Board of Trustees to take all actions necessary and appropriate to effectuate a university designation for eligible institutions.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony last spring marked the official opening of a new $15 million Grain Export Center, a milestone in a partnership between the Port of Oswego Authority and SUNY Oswego that preserves the health of consumers and a key supply chain while providing valuable experience to students.

“This lab is the only one of its kind among our sister Great Lakes ports,” said William Scriber ’80, executive director of the Port of Oswego Authority. “There are 15 major international ports and some 50 smaller, regional ports on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.”

Cleane Medeiros of the university’s biological sciences faculty directs the Agricul- tural Testing and Analysis Laboratories program that includes paid internships for students with majors that include biochemistry, biology, chemistry and zoology. A $250,000 New York State Department of Agriculture grant purchased equipment for both the lab at the port and a student training lab on campus. Students who participate can take part in SUNY Oswego’s new microcredentialing program for grain testing and analysis, which makes students more marketable and competitive when seeking top jobs in their field. In addition to the hands-on experience that complements their lessons, students also can earn employment opportunities through this arrangement.

Chemistry Alumni Share Advice with Students over Lunch

Chemistry and biochemistry majors discussed their career paths with students last spring: Francesco Papa ’19 (right), sales consultant representing DePuy Synthes Joint Reconstruction; Sam VanDee ’98 (second from left), senior forensic chemist at Onondaga County Center for Forensic Science; Jessica Blodgett Vaughn ’13 M’15 (third from right), investigation specialist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; Dr. Colleen Alexander ’09 (third from left), senior manager at global regulatory strategy and delivery at Baxter; Steve Maier ’84 M’89

“This formal designation appropriately represents who SUNY Oswego is today— a premier institution proud of its shared commitment to excellence and unwavering efforts to place student success at the center of all we do,” said Officer in Charge Mary C. Toale. “Being recognized officially as a university reinforces our institutional priorities; spotlights our high-quality, high-impact practices inside and outside the classroom; and underpins our mission to sustain our university and build a better world for future generations.”

This designation follows New York State Board of Regents’ new guidelines for what constitutes a university that require institutions of higher education to “offer a range of registered undergraduate and graduate curricula in the liberal arts and sciences, including graduate programs registered in at least three of the following discipline areas: agriculture, biological sciences, business, education, engineering, fine arts, health professions, humanities, physical sciences and social sciences.”

In November 2022, SUNY provided official documentation to the New York State Education Department to change its institutional name to the State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego). The name change was formally acknowledged by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) in December.