SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher delivers keynote address

Utica, NY – Continuing its commitment to provide students with the strongest blueprint for their career paths, SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) this weekend hosted its 43rd annual commencement ceremony at the Wildcat Field House, honoring its more than 700 members of the Class of 2017.

“It is my distinct honor to join the SUNY Poly community today as we celebrate the Class of 2017 and all that these students have and will accomplish as a result of completing their SUNY degree,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher who delivered the commencement address. “Congratulations to all of this year’s graduates as well as the excellent faculty and staff across SUNY Poly, and the parents and families at home whose support undoubtedly contributed to their success.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the Class of 2017 SUNY Poly graduates to our ever-growing family of alumni,” said Dr. Bahgat Sammakia, Interim President of SUNY Polytechnic Institute. “We wish them the best of luck going forward as they build their careers and achieve further success with the foundations they forged here at SUNY Poly.”

The top three undergraduate degrees awarded at the ceremony by number of students were Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration, Computer and Information Science, and Nursing, respectively. The graduate degrees awarded to the most students Saturday were Master of Business Administration in Technology Management, Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner, and Master of Science in Computer and Information Science, respectively.

The keynote speaker was Nancy Zimpher, 12th Chancellor of the State University of New York, who has overseen its nearly 463,000 students and 64 colleges and universities statewide in her nearly decade of service. Zimpher has encouraged broad access to SUNY’s high-quality education while maximizing the system’s impact as an engine of economic revitalization across New York State.

“As SUNY Poly continues to grow its innovative and experiential learning programs, we continue to be ever-impressed with the graduates who walk across our stage and out into the world where they will create the future we all will live in,” said Dr. William Durgin, Provost for SUNY Poly. “Our students are the heart of SUNY Poly and will always be our greatest success.”

Commencement ceremonies were preceded with a Hooding Ceremony Friday morning, May 5 at the Wildcat Field House for master’s and Ph.D. candidates. A hooding ceremony is a special recognition for Ph.D. and master’s degree candidates in which a faculty member from the student’s respective program places a hood over the head of the graduate, signifying his or her success in completing the graduate program. The keynote speaker for the 2017 SUNY Poly Hooding Ceremony was Interim President Dr. Bahgat Sammakia.

SUNY Poly’s Utica commencement was followed by a reception outside the Student Center.

A similar ceremony will be held at the Albany Campus of SUNY Polytechnic Institute on Saturday, May 20 at the Zen Building.
 

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and over 300 corporate partners. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.

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Media Contact:
Steve Ference, Director of University Communications­
(518) 956-7319 | sference@sunypoly.edu