2017 Commencement

More than 700 members of the Class of 2017 were honored Saturday, May 6 during the 43rd annual commencement ceremony for SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Processing from the Campus Center to the Wildcat Field House, more than 400 of those eligible for commencement took part in the ceremony, with outgoing SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher providing the keynote address.

“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.”

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer made a surprise visit to the Class of 2017 during the ceremony, inspiring students of the role they will play in creating the future.

During the ceremony, several faculty and staff members were awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence – Thomas Ciulla (Excellence in Classified Service), James Castracane (Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities), Brian Keith Taylor (Excellence in Professional Service) and Christopher W. Urban (Excellence in Teaching).

Each year, the prestigious President’s Award is presented to a graduating student who has a distinguished academic record, has demonstrated leadership, and exhibits exceptional standards of moral characters. The Class of 2017 recipient was Vaibhav, who completed a double major in Computer Science and Psychology, along with a minor in Applied Mathematics. Vaibhjav excelled at all three while taking on an academic overload each semester, working as a resident assistant, as a tutor in the learning center, and still finding time to participate in student government. His nominators credited his thirst for knowledge that led him to audit several classes without credit simply out of a desire to learn more.

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.

You can view two photo galleries of the 2017 Utica Commencement and watch the ceremony in its entirety on youtube.