With the announcement earlier this year about renaming and re-envisioning Oswego’s four colleges, no bigger transformation took place than in the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Engineering (CLASE), now with three schools under its umbrella.
Current CLASE departments were grouped into one of three new schools: the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences; School of Humanities; and School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
“The renaming of our largest academic unit emphasizes our deep commitment to the liberal arts while highlighting the growing significance of engineering and applied sciences in our curriculum,” President Peter O. Nwosu said in announcing the change to the former College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Integrating engineering into the name aims to increase the visibility of these programs, enhance interdisciplinary opportunities and better serve students pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). This change is a step toward greater external recognition for SUNY Oswego’s quality of education and research.
“Part of the refocusing of the CLASE and creation of the schools was to be better prepared for the next steps at SUNY Oswego and the needs of our community and employers,” Kristin Cryole, dean of CLASE, explained. “The new schools help us to be both more flexible and focused on growth for the future.”
Under the new structure, each school can focus on what unites them, makes them unique and how these areas of connection can better encourage collaboration and recruitment.
“Oswego has a lot of strengths in each of these three schools. and creating identified schools lets people see more readily what these strengths are,” Croyle said. “It also encourages faculty to work more closely together.”
Each school has a director, tasked primarily with new initiatives and student recruitment, serving as a key resource, ambassador and outreach leader.
“The school directors will take a leadership role in developing new initiatives to promote excellence, student success and recognition of each school,” Croyle said. “They will also participate in student outreach and recruitment. In these roles they will work closely with the department chairs and faculty in each school.”
The School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, with Marianne Hromalik of electrical and computer engineering as director, includes the departments of:
- Atmospheric and Geological Sciences
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mathematics
- Physics and Astronomy
The School of Humanities, with Candis Haak of history as director, includes the departments of:
- English and Creative Writing
- History
- Modern Languages and Literatures
- Philosophy
The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, with Alanna Ossa of anthropology as director, includes the departments of:
- Anthropology
- Criminal Justice
- Economics
- Human Development
- Politics
- Psychological Sciences
- Sociology
“A big goal is to increase student-facing and public-facing collaborations that draw attention to all that these schools do, and create promotions and programs that bring in the local community,” Croyle said. “The community should be a primary focus.”
Croyle also noted that, because of the tight focus of the school directors on developing new initiatives, it allows the institution to use resources efficiently. “We worked hard to identify what are some of the key pieces in promoting the exciting things that these schools do without increasing administrative costs,” Croyle said.
Watch Oswego Today for upcoming features and deeper dives into these three new schools.