SUNY New Paltz will hold its undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 on the Old Main Quad on the SUNY New Paltz campus. Both ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m.
The Saturday ceremony honors graduates of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the Sunday ceremony honors graduates of the School of Business, School of Education, School of Fine & Performing Arts and School of Science & Engineering.
The graduate commencement ceremony will take place on Friday, May 19, 6 p.m., also on the Old Main Quad.
This year, approximately 1,770 undergraduate and 720 graduate degrees will be conferred, as the University recognizes May and August 2023 candidates and students who completed their degrees in January 2023, August 2022 and December 2022.
SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler will preside over Commencement exercises for the first time since his tenure began in July 2022.
SUNY New Paltz will welcome distinguished alumni the Hon. Kevin R. Bryant (Political Science) and Robert Kyncl (International Relations) back to campus to deliver the commencement addresses at undergraduate ceremonies on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21, respectively.
Justice Bryant serves as Justice of the New York State Supreme Court in the Third Judicial District of New York and is the first African American male to be elected in the entire Third Judicial Department of New York, which is comprised of 28 counties.
Kyncl is CEO of Warner Music Group, which encompasses well-known record labels as well as music publishing company Warner Chappell Music Kyncl will also receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree, the highest form of recognition offered by the State University of New York.
Valedictorian Joanie Quinones (Communication Studies-Organizational) of Albany, first got involved on campus as a freshman, joining the New Paltz Dance Association and the New Paltz dance team. As a senior, she drew from these experiences to produce a seminar case study on how these student organizations have used dance to support causes including mental health and campus sustainability. She has served as a resident advisor at Lenape Hall and as the campus food pantry‘s first media intern. Quinones will speak at the Saturday, May 20 commencement ceremony. Salutatorian Alexis Smith (Psychology) of Huntington, is working toward a career as a licensed mental health clinician focusing on the needs of children and teens. She credits her successes at New Paltz to the network of peers, faculty experts and professionals she was able to access through the Department of Psychology and related campus groups. She has served as secretary of the local Psi Chi Honors Society chapter, which became a platform for her to connect and build relationships with alumni and others in the field. Smith will speak at the Sunday, May 21 commencement ceremony.
Retiring Interim Provost Barbara Lyman will offer brief congratulatory remarks at the graduate commencement ceremony on May 19.
For additional information, visit newpaltz.edu/commencement/.
SUNY Ulster holds 59th commencement on May 20
SUNY Ulster’s seventh President, Alison Buckley, will preside over the college’s 59th commencement on Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m., on the SUNY Ulster soccer field on the Stone Ridge campus. President Buckley will present 130 students with a degree or certificate at the commencement ceremony.Â
The event will be video streamed live for guests without tickets and can be viewed from any remote location as the ceremony occurs at sunyulster.edu/graduation or from YouTube channel youtube.com/user/SUNYUlster.
The graduating class consists of 429 students. Three hundred twenty-nine will receive associate degrees and 100 will receive certificates.Â
Tim Guinee, actor and environmental activist will give the keynote address. Guinee is the president of Climate Action Now and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Commission on Accelerating Climate Solutions. As a leader in former Vice-President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, he has given presentations on the climate emergency all over the U.S., Canada and North Africa. He is also the founder of The Climate Actors and serves on the leadership council of Riverkeeper, the board of the Ashokan Center and the board of Green Product Placement.
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