ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY College at Oneonta will mark the 120^th anniversary of its opening on September 5. On that date in 1889, the Oneonta Normal School offered its first classes to approximately 100 students who were preparing to teach in the public schools of New York State. Today, SUNY Oneonta has grown into a comprehensive college, enrolling nearly 5,900 students in a wide range of academic programs that lead to bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as post-baccalaureate and post-master’s certificates.

After more than 50 years of offering a two- or three-year teacher-preparation curriculum, the College granted its first Bachelor of Education degrees in 1942 to students who completed a four-year curriculum.

In 1948, the Oneonta State College of Education was one of the founding members of the State University of New York system. In the same year, the College initiated an undergraduate program in home economics and began offering graduate programs in teacher education.

From 1949 through the 1970s, the College expanded as the new campus was developed on a hill overlooking "Old Main," the College’s first building.

With the addition of a full range of programs in the arts and sciences in 1964, the State Teachers College at Oneonta became the State University of New York College at Oneonta, and enrollment grew substantially.

In 2009, the main campus includes 30 instructional and support buildings and 15 residence halls, including Higgins Hall, the newest building, which was completed in 2004. The College’s facilities also include the Biological Field Station on Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, where the Cooperstown Graduate Program in History Museum Studies is located.

Today, SUNY Oneonta offers 69 undergraduate and 10 graduate programs, including three new master’s degrees in Education. On the 120^th anniversary of its first class, the College has built a reputation for outstanding faculty, strong academic programs, innovative educational technology, and a commitment to community service. In the U.S. News rankings of "America’s Best Colleges 2010," SUNY Oneonta received its highest ranking ever: 10^th among public colleges and 45^th overall among master’s-granting universities in the North.

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