When you step on campus, be prepared for a few new things this year
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Heads up! Oswego has a few changes awaiting you this year. Here are some of them.
1 — Hewitt Hall
“The biggest new physical development is Hewitt Hall coming back online for classes,” said Tim Nekritz, director of communications in the Office of Communications and Marketing.
2 — Real Estate Minor
Nekritz also said that the school is offering a few new academic programs and other developments, including a real estate minor, which “connects with a large amount of student interest.”
The popularity of Oswego’s Real Estate Club demonstrated that students would welcome a minor in real estate to help them prepare for a career in real estate.
3 — More Ways to Collaborate
The new Center for Business Excellence and Transformation offers a means for students, faculty, and community members to collaborate on education, partnerships and co-curricular learning about business.
Nekritz said that it “will provide opportunities to students and open avenues to connect with the community.”
Another development is the Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) initiative, which supports student success and retention. Students commit to attending their classes and other meetings and receive tutoring, career counseling, study skills development and financial help.
4 — Name Changes
Oswego is changing some of its programs’ names and organization structure.
“A far-ranging change that will play out more and more is the one of our colleges — now the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Engineering — having three sub-schools underneath it while three other units formerly known as schools are now colleges,” Nekritz said.
The former College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is now the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Engineering (CLASE) with three schools within it.
The new schools within CLASE will be the School of Humanities, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences. A director leading each school reports to the CLASE dean.
Including “engineering” into the name of the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences will help attract students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and develop more general recognition for Oswego’s STEM offerings.
School of Education has become College of Education, Health and Human Services to better relate Oswego’s broad scope in this area as well as keep the program open-ended for future growth in more areas.
The School of Business is now the College of Business and Entrepreneurship, which aligns with the school’s shift to include an emphasis on cultivating leadership skills and growing enterprises.
Oswego’s School of Communication, Media and the Arts was renamed the College of Communication, Media and the Arts to reflect the growth of the program in light of its new home in Hewitt Hall, which opened in fall 2025 with a $80 million renovation. Hewitt Hall includes two broadcasting studios, a podcasting studio, a newsroom, an animation lab, a film screening room, a white box gallery, a virtual reality suite, a music performance space and specialized labs and classrooms.
In general, new names can help Oswego obtain grants, research funds and collaborations with companies and community resources.
