[6] In 1952, the Faculty-Student Association Inc. (the forerunner of today's Oneonta Auxiliary Services) purchased a 63-acre (25 ha) farm about four miles (6.4 km) north of the college.

[5] The 1960s were a period of rapid growth in the college's operating budget, student enrollment, number of staff members, and the campus buildings.

The following year, the college started accepting transfer students into 13 liberal arts programs, beginning the transition to a multi-purpose higher education institution.

[5] A field station on Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York was also completed, stimulated by a gift of and additional 300 to 400 acres (120 to 160 ha).

[11] Challenges during Donovan's era included student violence in downtown Oneonta and racial tension on campus.

On the morning of September 4, 1992, a 77-year-old woman told police she was attacked at the home of a family she was visiting outside the town of Oneonta.

Police officers believed that blood at the scene indicated the assailant suffered a cut on his hand from a knife he had wielded.

College officials provided New York State Police a list of 78 black and Latino male students to aid in the investigation, provoking outrage and national attention.

In the following days, police questioned hundreds of African Americans in the area, stopping them, and checking their hands for signs of wounds.

[12] In 2012, SUNY Oneonta President Nancy Kleniewski announced the formation of the September 4 Commemorations Committee to develop programming to mark and remember what she termed a "low point" in the school's history.

Several construction projects were completed under Donovan, including the Alumni Field House in 1998 and the Robin Ross Higgins Hall in 2003.

SUNY Oneonta enrolls about 5,500 students who pursue bachelor's or master's degrees or certificates in one of 60-plus academic programs.

The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences accredits the undergraduate programs offered by SUNY Oneonta's Human Ecology Department.

[20] SUNY Oneonta offers semester- and year-long study abroad and exchange programs through the Office of Global Education.

These trips are usually part of a semester-long or summer course and typically last 10 days to three weeks, offering hands-on learning in a student's field of study.

[21] Students have collaborated with faculty on a variety of research topics, including a green chemistry invention that won a United States patent.

Grant awards are available for independent research and creative activity projects conducted by students with faculty sponsorship in any discipline or interdisciplinary area.

The keynote speaker for that year was Alan Chartock, Professor Emeritus at SUNY Albany and host of The Capitol Connection.

[29] The SUNY Oneonta New Critics Undergraduate Literature and Composition Conference is hosted each spring by the English Department.

Dining plans are unlimited and offer options for additional dollars for purchases at cafes and other retail facilities on campus.

SUNY Oneonta offers students over 150 clubs and organizations that supports a wide variety of interests.

The station produces over 4 hours of original programming each week, in addition to Live Sporting events.