English Student Opportunities

As an English major at SUNY Oneonta, you’ll have a wide variety of hands-on opportunities to apply your knowledge and skills. We have a rich array of clubs and activities for students interested in getting involved on campus, meeting friends who share their interests, and flexing their writing skills outside the classroom. Several annual awards and scholarships offer recognition and support for outstanding achievements as a writer and scholar.

An internship offers the opportunity to gain real-world writing and communication experience, as well as to try out a possible industry or career path. It can also often (though not always) lead to a job after graduation! In addition, students who take the English Department's internship class (COMP 4097) may use it to fill one of their 4000-level or COMP course requirements. 

What kind of internships do English majors pursue? 

English majors get resume-worthy experience during internships at regional magazines, newspapers, arts centers, celebrity news and travel writing portals, and literary centers, to name a few. Students often find positions at their hometown newspapers, public relations firms, or state legislators. Recently, students have done internships with the following organizations:

• IT Services (on campus)
• The Student Learning Center (on campus, as a peer writing consultant)
• The CelebrityCafe.com
• Bright Hills Press & Literary Center
• New York Council of Nonprofits
• The Freeman's Journal/ Hometown Oneonta newspapers
• Hearst Magazines
• The West Kortright Centre
• Maire Claire
• The Children's Defense Fund 

Parnassus: The English Club

One of the oldest clubs at SUNY Oneonta, dating back over 100 years, Parnassus: The English Club continues to offer English majors and other students an opportunity to associate with classmates interested in literature and literary studies. In conjunction with the English Department, Parnassus brings scholars, critics, and writers to campus for lectures and readings. Additionally, this Student Association-funded organization sponsors film festivals, writing awards, and bus trips to museums and plays.

Sigma Tau Delta

Sigma Tau Delta is the International English Honor Society. A member of the Association of College Honor Societies, it was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. Sigma Tau Delta's central purpose is to confer distinction upon students of the English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies. Sigma Tau Delta also recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.

The State Times

The State Times is the official university newspaper.  

Art & Scope  

The Art & Scope art and literary magazine has been a tradition at SUNY Oneonta for several decades. Its editors seek submissions from Oneonta students, regardless of major, of diverse types of creative work: poetry, short fiction, essays, graphic art, and original photographs or photographs of original paintings or sculptures. This Student Association-funded publication is circulated on campus each semester and is overseen by faculty advisors from both the English and Art departments. A small, dedicated group of student volunteers fill various editorial positions.  

Creative Writing Club

The Creative Writing Club holds weekly meetings that include unique writing prompts and time to share your work. The club strives to inspire writers and to make them feel comfortable sharing their work (although there is no pressure to do so). It covers an array of genres, including science fiction, young adult fiction, poetry, humor, fan fiction, and more! The Creative Writing Club is an excellent place for both English majors and other students to meet classmates interested in writing and literature in general.

Edit This!

Edit This! is a journal of student writing published periodically as part of the final project for the English Department's professional writing class "Introduction to Editing and Publishing" (LING 3015). It typically includes poetry, fiction and academic essays on diverse topics. 

Writing Awards

The English Department offers two awards recognizing outstanding writing:

• The Laurence B. Goodrich Prize recognizes outstanding writing in four categories: personal essay or creative nonfiction, critical essay, fiction and poetry.
• The Harry Bloom Prize for Fiction Writing is awarded each spring for the best short story submitted by an Oneonta undergraduate student during the preceding academic year. In recognition of Professor Harry Bloom's long and exemplary service to SUNY Oneonta, his humane teaching, and his inspiring dedication to all facets of the craft, the English Department established this prize in 1997.  

Academic Achievement Awards

The Minnie P. Olive Award is presented to the graduating senior who has demonstrated the most outstanding academic excellence in English.

The English Department Academic Achievement Award is presented to one graduating senior whose scholarly performance stands out from the crowd, considering not only grade-point average but also more intangible issues of intellectual originality, austerity and professional potential.

Scholarships

The Susan Sutton Smith Scholarship was established in 1998 by the parents of the late Dr. Susan Sutton Smith, an esteemed colleague in the English Department. It is awarded to an English major who shows academic promise. It is renewable, provided the recipient completes three English courses per academic year and maintains a 3.5 GPA in the English major and a 3.25 GPA overall.

The John '78 and Sandra Carey Scholarship is a renewable scholarship awarded to first-generation English majors.  

The Gwen Crane Scholarship: The English Department is seeking to establish a scholarship in memory of Dr. Gwen Crane, who taught medieval English literature at SUNY Oneonta for 27 years until her death in April 2021. Donations can be made online (select "Other" for the "Designation" and then type in "Gwen Crane Memorial Scholarship") or by contacting the Division of University Advancement.