SUNY New Paltz Conferred Over 2,600 Degrees

NEW PALTZ – SUNY New Paltz conferred more than 2,600 undergraduate and graduate degrees during a joyous three-day Commencement celebration on May 17, 18 and 19.
The College honored Class of 2018 and 2019 graduates and candidates of programs in the liberal arts & sciences, business, education, fine and performing arts, science and engineering, at two undergraduate ceremonies and one graduate ceremony.

“In a few moments, today’s graduates will no longer be our students, but will embark on the next stage of their life’s journey,” said President Donald P. Christian. “Your college takes great pride in what you have accomplished so far, and looks forward to what you will achieve in your future.”

The festivities began on Friday, May 17, with the Graduate Commencement Ceremony at the Athletic & Wellness Center. The evening ceremony recognizes students who completed advanced degree and certificate programs in one of the more than 50 graduate-level programs available at New Paltz.

The first of two undergraduate celebrations took place on Saturday, May 18, at the Old Main Quadrangle. Roughly 750 participants and thousands more friends and loved ones celebrated together at the Saturday Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, honoring graduates of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the largest of New Paltz’s five academic schools.

The celebration concluded on Sunday, May 19, as the College awarded degrees to approximately 750 of the newest alumni of the Schools of Business, Education, Fine & Performing Arts and Science & Engineering, at the Sunday Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony.

The Commencement Address at the Saturday Ceremony was given by Jane Delgado ’73 (Psychology), who also accepted an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the State University of New York during the ceremony. SUNY Board of Trustee Member Eunice Lewin presented the honorary degree.

Delgado is among the most accomplished alumni of SUNY New Paltz: a health care advocate, researcher, author and clinical psychologist, widely recognized and admired in her field for her leadership in the movement to improve health outcomes and quality of life for members of underserved populations.

She advised those in the audience to envision ways of applying their passion, talent and knowledge to change the world for the better, as they prepare to embark on a new chapter of their lives.

“What we do, how we live, and how we love are determined by the values that are important to us,” Delgado said. “We all need to find that steering wheel within ourselves that will guide us to make the right choices, so we can make a positive difference. May you have safe passage and the finest steering wheel to guide you on your path.”

Nina Smiley, who holds a doctorate in psychology from Princeton University, provided the Commencement Address for the Sunday Ceremony. She offered words of wisdom that reflect her current work as director of mindfulness programming at Mohonk Mountain House, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

“Life is rarely a straight path – as much as we’d like it to be a process of connecting the dots in a line, it’s too rich and full and messy and unpredictable to fall into place so easily,” Smiley said. “It’s the times when things shift away from our plans that may be the most valuable experiences of all.

“Today at Commencement, my wish for each of you is the gift of resilience. May you live with compassion, with grace, with insight, with integrity and with love, whatever it is you choose to do.”

The College presented Nina Smiley and, posthumously, her husband, Albert K. “Bert” Smiley, with the President’s Medal, the highest recognition that can be bestowed by the campus president. The Smiley couple managed the historic resort for 30 years.

These medals were custom designed by New Paltz alumnus Cameron S. Andersen ’13g (Metal) and Professor Myra Mimlitsch-Gray (Metal). Aaron Nelson, assistant professor of digital design & fabrication, produced the medals and created stands for displaying the medals using 3D printers in the College’s Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center.

The Student Addresses at the Saturday and Sunday ceremonies were given by
Salutatorian Reuben Slater ’19 (History; Anthropology) of Brooklyn, New York, and Valedictorian Nicholas Piaquadio ’19 (Electrical Engineering; Physics) of Wallkill, New York, respectively.

“When we leave the College today, it will mark the beginning of a new chapter in our lives,” said Piaquadio. “I don’t know what challenges life will bring, but I can say with certainty that our experiences here have prepared us well to meet them. My hope is that we never forget the individuality that New Paltz helped build.”

“At SUNY New Paltz, every day is a chance to learn something new, try something new, and truly explore the horizons before you,” Slater said. “We are a community who support and bring out the best in each other. If there exists a New Paltz ethos, then this is it.”