President's Welcome

Something for Everyone

SUNY Cortland prides itself on being flexible to the needs of our students. We offer 60 undergraduate majors, 32 graduate programs, one certificate program with four areas of emphasis in a beautiful small town setting. The average class size is 22 students, with a student faculty ratio of 17:1. Our personal size allows you to become more fully involved in your classroom studies, while providing an opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with other students and professors.

Our students have the opportunity to choose from an impressive list of more than 100 clubs, organizations, and activities. Concerts, films, picnics, lectures, and other cultural events come to the campus throughout the year.

The campus also has one Olympic-size swimming pool, an ice arena, a field house with an indoor track, several basketball gyms, two outdoor basketball courts, 22 outdoor tennis courts, 10 racquetball and eight squash courts, a stadium complex with two turf fields and outdoor track, and numerous practice fields.

The Recreational Sports Program also offers students two state-of-the-art fitness facilities, an outstanding intramural sports program with 60 different intramural sports and special events, and a sport club program with 32 clubs and more than 850 participants.

Academics

SUNY Cortland's challenging curriculum is composed of a rich blend of liberal arts and professional courses. Classes are highlighted by involving discussions, intriguing explanations, and firsthand knowledge, as related by professors who have practiced what they teach.

One of the outstanding features of Cortland is the attitude of friendship, trust, and respect that exists between students and faculty. The faculty see learning as a lifelong enterprise. They want each student to have a rewarding general education experience as well as pursue success in a major field of study.

In meeting the challenges of change in today's world, SUNY Cortland strongly encourages the technological education of its students. We have 16 open access computer facilities and 29 special purpose computer labs featuring both Windows and Macintosh computers. In addition, there are several e-mail express stations available for e-mail and internet access. Also, many of the computing labs offer printing and copying capabilities. All computing facilities are wheelchair accessible.

Co-Op Education and Internships

Learning at SUNY Cortland is not limited to the lecture hall. Valuable on the job experience through the cooperative education program supplements classroom learning at Cortland. Qualifying students have co-op opportunities in New York and throughout the country. This voluntary program broadens the educational opportunities available at Cortland and helps to pay college expenses. Internships enable students to apply classroom theory in actual work situations.

Honors Program

Highly qualified students are invited to apply for admissions to the Honors Program, an academically rigorous program designed to challenge the academic potential of intellectually and creatively talented students. Honor program students attend seminar style classes and have special access to speakers and visiting scholars.

Athletics

SUNY Cortland has one of the most extensive NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletic programs in the United States. We have 14 women's and 11 men's teams. Cortland is indeed proud of its winning athletic legacy. During the 2008-09 season, we had 33 All-Americans, 15 teams participated in NCAA or similar post-season competition, and we finished fifth in the NACDA Directors' Cup Division III standings (our 14th straight top 20 finish and our fourth consecutive year in the top 10).

Our men's lacrosse and men's cross country teams each won NCAA Division III titles during the 2008-09 season. Cortland teams have now won 23 national titles and have also finished as national runners-up 23 times. In addition, women's gymnast Alyssa Neely won the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Division III balance beam title and Jake Zanetti captured the pole vault national crown at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. With those victories, Cortland student-athletes have impressively won at least one individual national title each of the last 23 years.

Financial Advisement

SUNY Cortland is concerned that all well-qualified students have access to the College and all it has to offer, regardless of financial circumstances. During the 2008-09 academic year, more than 88 percent of our undergraduate students received grants, scholarships, student loans, and/or other financial assistance totaling over 54 million dollars.

Additionally, our Financial Advisement Office worked extensively with our students to help them learn about consumer banking, personal finance, and credit management. Visit the Financial Advisement Office Web site or call the Financial Advisement Office at (607) 753-4717.

Come See for Yourself

Your SUNY Cortland experience will prepare you for the challenges of a career and equip you to enjoy a full and productive life. I encourage you to come to our campus and talk with our students, faculty members, and staff; for only then will you know that the Cortland experience is for you.

For an application, information, or to arrange a campus visit, please go to the Admissions Office Web site or call them at (607) 753-4711.

Things are happening at Cortland!

Sincerely,

Erik J. Bitterbaum
President