View the Winter Commencement photo gallery
ALBANY, N.Y. (December 6, 2007) -- The University at Albany will hold its Winter Commencement on Sunday, December 9 at 1 p.m. at the SEFCU Arena on the uptown campus. Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings, '76, will deliver the keynote address and will be honored with the Medallion of the University, the institution's highest honor, in recognition of his career of distinguished leadership, extraordinary public service and support for academic quality.
The University will award 550 bachelor's degrees and 457 graduate degrees, including 342 master's and 83 doctoral degrees. Psychology and business were the top majors for undergraduate degree candidates. Twelve undergraduates participated in the Presidential Scholars program, which recognizes and nurtures students with distinguished high school academic records. The undergraduate class' cumulative GPA is 3.0.
The undergraduate commencement class hails from eight states and 26 foreign countries. Undergraduates are 51 percent women and 49 percent men, and include seven military veterans. The youngest graduate is 20, while the oldest is 58.
During commencement ceremonies, senior Erin O'Brien, graduating with a business administration degree, will reflect on her experiences at UAlbany in an address to the graduates, their families and friends. O'Brien, of Florence, Mass., is seeking to pursue a master's degree in business administration at the University.
Jennings, serving in his fourth term, is the 74th mayor of the City of Albany, New York State's capital city. He was awarded his master's degree in educational administration from the University at Albany in 1976. Jennings successfully ran for election to the city's Common Council, serving the 11th Ward for 13 years before he won election as mayor in 1993.
Under his leadership, the City of Albany in 1998 received the "City Livability Award" from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In the same year, Albany and its mayor were awarded for promoting cooperative relations between government and the business community. Jennings has initiated programs for the safety of the many college students who live off campus and frequent local businesses.
Through Jennings' leadership, the City of Albany has partnered with UAlbany on a wide-range of issues surrounding quality education and college-age students, including Operation Safe Corridor and UAlbany's downtown Student Housing and Revitalization Project at Alumni Quad.
Jennings was co-host of the New York State Summit Preventing Student Alcohol Abuse: Improving the Campus-Community Culture held at UAlbany. He has participated in several annual University events, including Campus Clean-Up and Move-In Day. He was also instrumental in helping to bring the New York Giants Summer Training Camp to UAlbany in 1996. In 2008, the Giants will return UAlbany for the 13th consecutive summer, the longest tenure of any training camp location.
