For Oswego, there will be a new organization for broadcasting and cinema screens studies students to participate in.

The Broadcasting Education Association (BEA) has a new chapter of its association opening doors at SUNY Oswego.

David Crider, a broadcasting professor who is leading the program, said that there will be new opportunities for students to participate and to win awards.

“We have upwards of 1,800 student members now,” Crider said. “It’s definitely an area of growth, and the point of these chapters is to connect students to industry professionals, networking opportunities, scholarship opportunities, and competitions where they can show off their work.”

In BEA’s 2024 Recognition of Institutional Excellence in Media, SUNY Oswego ranked no. 67 overall and no. 25 in its audio program, both rankings the highest of all public colleges in New York state. 

Crider said that the organization will help to prepare students for the job market in different fields.

“It’s definitely an organization that promotes academic research among broadcasting students, but on an increasing basis, has become more concerned with preparing students for the job market,” Crider said. “It’s making sure that they get a better education in media fields as well as extra opportunities that they might not get in the classroom.”

Crider said that the BEA is centered around developing broadcasting skills, but that other skills will factor, such as filmmaking and multimedia arts, to reflect the changing media industry.

Six students have earned special recognition from BEA in the past year. Recent graduate Clarissa Karki “Best in Show” for a documentary about an operetta inspired by Fort Ontario’s Holocaust refugee program, and the “Award in Excellence” for a radio story on nuclear power.

With the broadcasting and film programs both growing at the university, Crider hopes there will be more collaborations for both programs in the BEA.

“For me, that’s what I’m concerned about, getting our broadcasting students and cinema screen studies students who don’t normally have the chance to mix together on these things,” Crider said.

The BEA has a free membership option for active undergraduate students who are interested in joining. For graduate students, they will have to pay $55 to join.