ONEONTA, N.Y. -- A new multi-year campaign at the SUNY College at Oneonta will enhance academic quality and scholarships in Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, and Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics. Known as Visions/Solutions: The Fund for Science and Technology, the campaign, which began in January, recently exceeded $1 million in gifts, grants, and written commitments on the way to its goal of $4 million by June 2010.

The campaign is co-chaired by Janet Perna, a 1970 SUNY-Oneonta graduate who is the retired General Manager of Information Management Solutions for the IBM Software Group, and Professor William Pietraface, Chair of the SUNY-Oneonta Biology Department and Vice President of the College at Oneonta Foundation Board of Directors.

Recognizing the vital role of science and technology in today's world, the College Foundation Board of Directors established several objectives for the campaign:

• increasing the number of scholarships available for science and technology majors at the College;
• establishing an endowment for student-faculty research;
• enhancing equipment and facilities in the College's science and technology programs; and
• emphasizing the importance of science, mathematics, and technology campus-wide.

The Fund for Science and Technology is the first-ever campaign at SUNY-Oneonta that targets a specific group of academic departments.

A number of new scholarships have already been established during the campaign, including several designed specifically for students studying science and technology:

• The James '83 and Laura Bidwell Scholarship, established by the former Managing Director of International Development for E*Trade and his wife, will be awarded to students who major in science, mathematics, or education with a preference to dual majors in two of the three.
• The Roger Arthur Frost Scholarship, established by emeritus Dean of the College Dr. James Frost in memory of his son, will be awarded to incoming freshmen majoring in the sciences or technology.
• The Rudy and Gwen Latendorf Schuster '68, '73G Scholarship, created by Dr. and Mrs. Schuster of Oneonta, will be awarded to students who major in science education or family and consumer science education.

Janet Perna, the co-chair of the campaign, established a related scholarship in 2007. The Janet Perna '70 Women in Technology Scholarship is awarded to freshman women with financial need who enter SUNY-Oneonta to pursue a major in biology, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, computer science, statistics, physics, or secondary education in one of those fields.

William Pietraface and his wife, Marge, have made a gift commitment to name the Pietraface Tissue Culture Laboratory, a 320-square foot area in the Physical Science Building where faculty and students conduct cellular, molecular, and plant biology research. Their gift will also create a new scholarship in recognition of Dr. Pietraface's teaching career of nearly 30 years at the College.

The College at Oneonta Foundation scholarships serve a number of purposes, including recruiting and retaining well qualified new students and rewarding meritorious performance by current students.

The Fund for Science and Technology is coordinated through the College at Oneonta Foundation, a non-profit organization that facilitates charitable giving to the College and manages the College's endowment. Established in 1982, the Foundation uses sound fiscal policies to invest and allocate assets. Many scholarships at SUNY-Oneonta are endowed, so the principal funds used to establish them are preserved in perpetuity.

More information about The Fund for Science and Technology is available from Paul J. Adamo, Vice President for College Advancement and Executive Director of the College at Oneonta Foundation, at (607) 436-2535 or on the web at www.oneonta.edu/advancement/donors/v-s/

#####

Text Only Options

• Change the current font size: larger | default | smaller
• Current color mode is Black on White, other available modes: Yellow on Black | Black on Cream
• Show textual links as buttons
• Do not move navbars
• Do not alert me when leaving text-mode
• Open not handled documents directly
• Hide Text Only Options

Open the original version of this page.