View Video For Release:          Immediate – May 14, 2016

Contact:                Jerry Gretzinger, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations ­

(518) 956-7359 | jgretzinger@sunypoly.edu

SUNY Poly Hosts Spring Commencement Ceremony For Newest Graduates Who Gained World-Class Education at Albany Site

Ceremony Follows Commencement at Utica Site, with More Than 850 Total Students Receiving Degrees, Representing SUNY Poly’s Largest Graduating Class Ever

Albany, NY – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) today announced that 58 students who earned undergraduate or advanced degrees at its Albany site were honored during commencement exercises held on Saturday, May 14. The graduates follow those who received degrees at SUNY Poly's Utica commencement, which was held last Saturday, May 7; a total of more than 850 students were recognized during ceremonies held at both sites as part of SUNY Poly’s largest graduating class to date.

“I commend the 2016 SUNY Poly graduates on their achievement which provides them with an unmatched platform for success within New York State’s high-tech ecosystem,” said SUNY Polytechnic Institute Founding President and CEO Dr. Alain Kaloyeros. “SUNY Poly’s educational offerings light the way toward an even brighter future for these graduates who are well equipped to seize the numerous high-tech research, development, and commercialization-focused opportunities that are available in New York State.  The very best of luck to the class of 2016.”

“I am thrilled to congratulate SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s newest graduates, whose steadfast academic efforts are now catalyzing exciting job and advanced degree opportunities in New York State and beyond,” said SUNY Poly Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Professor of Nanoscale Science Dr. Robert Geer. “With so many from this latest cohort of SUNY Poly graduates deciding to remain in New York State for its growing number of leading-edge career and educational offerings, we are proud that the expanding 21 ^st Century economy is enabling the strengthening of New York’s communities through the rigorous academic training and retainment of our talented students.”

Fifty-eight graduate and undergraduate students, including thirty-three from New York State and thirteen international students who all earned degrees were honored during the commencement ceremony held at SUNY Poly’s globally recognized Albany NanoTech Complex. Of those being recognized, 10 students were awarded Ph.D.’s, 11 earned master’s degrees, and of the 37 who were part of the undergraduate class attending the institution’s Albany site who were awarded Bachelor of Science degrees, eleven graduated with a Nanoscale Science concentration and 26 had a Nanoscale Engineering concentration.

The students who were honored during the spring commencement ceremony plan to pursue a variety of career or educational opportunities. Of those graduate students who have definitive career or educational plans after graduation, two-thirds have accepted positions at leading corporations in the fields of semiconductor or bioscience-based research and development, including at SUNY Poly and at leading-edge high-tech corporations such as IBM and GLOBALFOUNDRIES, among others, or they are pursuing advanced degrees in New York State, with many choosing to continue their education by enrolling in SUNY Poly’s nanoscale science or nanoscale engineering Ph.D. programs. More than one-third of the undergraduate students with definitive post-graduation plans have already secured positions with advanced technology-focused corporations or expect to pursue graduate studies in New York State to take advantage of the state’s burgeoning innovation corridor.

SUNY Poly is the world’s first educational institution to offer comprehensive undergraduate and graduate-level curricula focused on nanotechnology research and development through both its graduate program, which was introduced in 2004, and its undergraduate program, which began in 2010. SUNY Poly’s educational offerings are supported by the unsurpassed intellectual and technological resources of its $43 billion statewide campus, including a fast-growing portfolio of high-tech research, development, and commercialization facilities that are part of innovation hubs in cities across upstate New York, from Buffalo, Dunkirk, Rochester, Canandaigua, and Syracuse, to Utica, Halfmoon, Plattsburgh, and Albany.

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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 more than $43 billion in high-tech investments, over 300 corporate partners, and maintains a statewide footprint. The 1.3 million-square-foot Albany NanoTech megaplex is home to more than 4,000 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, faculty, and staff, in addition to Tech Valley High School. SUNY Poly operates the Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center (SCiTI) at Kiernan Plaza in Albany, the Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon, the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST) in Troy, the Central New York Hub for Emerging Nano Industries in Syracuse, the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center (STC) in Canandaigua, and the Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility in Rochester where SUNY Poly also leads the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics. SUNY Poly founded and manages the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) at its Utica location and also manages the $500 million New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium, with nodes in Albany and Rochester, as well as the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend, Buffalo Information Technologies Innovation and Commercialization Hub, and Buffalo Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.