Annual Admissions Open House Set for April 6

03/28/2013 

The 31st annual Admissions Open House, a one-day program allowing accepted freshmen, transfer applicants and prospective students to acquaint themselves better with SUNY Cortland, is expected to attract 1,800 visitors to campus on Saturday, April 6.

This year, more than 11,200 prospective freshmen have applied for the fall semester at SUNY Cortland, said Betsy Cheetham, assistant director of admissions at the College and coordinator of Open House since its inception in 1983.

Additionally, the College anticipates more than 2,500 transfer applications for the Fall 2013 semester, she noted. In the past, more than 70 percent of prospective first-year students who attended Open House actually enrolled in the fall semester and 90 percent of the transfer applicants have enrolled.

“Many of the visitors to the spring open house have been accepted as either freshman or transfer students,” added Mark Yacavone, SUNY Cortland assistant vice president for enrollment management. “This event allows them a final opportunity to interact with our faculty, staff and students before they make their final decision on a college to attend in the fall.”

Events will take place in Park Center and Corey Union.

Visitors are encouraged to participate in a variety of information sessions and tours, Cheetham explained. The dining halls will welcome visitors to eat alongside current students at no charge for the prospective students and at the regular rate for their family members.

Open House begins at 9:45 a.m. in the Park Center Alumni Arena with welcoming remarks by College President Erik J. Bitterbaum, Student Government Association President LeighMarie Weber and Yacavone.

An academic, student services and student organization fair will be offered in Park Center Corey Gymnasium and Poolside Lobby between 10:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Prospective Cortland students and their families can meet current faculty and students to discuss the College’s major and minor programs, as well as its clubs and activities. Walking tours of campus led by current students will include academic buildings and residence halls. A shuttle bus will transport students wanting to tour the West Campus Apartments.

Information on an array of programs relating to the academic, cultural and social life of the Cortland campus also will be presented between 10:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., in Park Center Gymnasium and Poolside Lobby. Sessions will cover housing and residence life for both freshman and transfer students, financial aid, Honors Program, career services, academic support services and dining, college store and other essential services. Additional sessions include campus activities and involvement, Greek life, study abroad, student disability services, recreational opportunities, intramural sports, fitness and sport clubs, childhood and early childhood education, pre-med advisement, pre-law advisement, transfer credits, and learning opportunities for students who haven’t declared a major. DanceWorks, Kickline and the Cortland Dance Company will perform, as well.

At the fair, four special presentations are planned from 10:30 a.m. until 1:45 p.m. in Park Center and Corey Union. Distinguished Service Professor Robert Spitzer will offer pre-law advisement to those interested in a political science major. Rhonda Jacobs, assistant director of the outdoor education center, will discuss the College’s off-campus facilities in the Adirondacks and their role in the successful transition of youth to the campus experience. The campus Army Reserve Officer Training Corps representative Kevin Swab will relate the opportunities available to those who pair their academic life with military preparation. Doug Wieczorek, director of field experience and school partnerships, will explore the unusual student teaching opportunities the College has to offer in Australia and New York City.

Lunch will be available in the Brockway Hall, Neubig Hall and Corey Union dining facilities.

Guests also are invited to attend campus athletic and cultural events. Home games will include a softball doubleheader at noon versus Buffalo State, a baseball doubleheader at noon versus SUNY Brockport and women’s lacrosse versus SUNY Oswego at 1 p.m. There will be no admission charge for athletic events on Open House day.

At 8 p.m., “Once Upon a Mattress,” a musical comedy based on the Hans Christian Andersen fable “The Princess and the Pea,” will be performed in Old Main Brown Auditorium. The 1959 Broadway hit was popularized further in television adaptations starring Carol Burnett in 1962, 1964 and 2005. Tickets will be sold at the door for $8 for Open House guests and all students, $15 for senior citizens and SUNY staff and $18 for the general public.

For more information, visit online at cortland.edu/admissions or contact Cheetham at 607-753-4712.