University at Albany Celebrates Winter Commencement, Dec. 8

Winter commencement at the University at Albany is held in the SEFCU Arena. (Photo by Mark Schmidt)

ALBANY, N.Y. (December 4, 2013) - More than 1,000 students will earn their degrees from the University at Albany at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, during winter commencement at UAlbany’s SEFCU Arena. UAlbany President Robert J. Jones will deliver the ceremony’s keynote address and be joined by New York Senator Charles E. Schumer, who will also offer remarks.

According to preliminary estimates, 574 undergraduates will receive degrees in about 50 different majors, including sociology, psychology, communication, economics, business, English, political science, accounting, biology, and history. Graduates hail from eight states, and 13 different countries, including China, Cote D’Ivoire, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea and the Republic of Rwanda.

The class’ oldest graduate is 60 while the youngest graduate is 19 years of age. Males comprise 51 percent of the class, and females, 49 percent.  There are also 14 undergraduate veterans and 4 graduate veterans in the class. 

From a graduate perspective, approximately 435 students will receive a master’s degree, a doctorate or a graduate certificate. The most popular graduate degree programs include information science, literacy, mental health counseling, criminal justice, business, and public health.

Graduate students come from 14 states and 19 different countries including China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Iran, Nepal, the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan. The oldest graduate is 63 while the youngest graduate is 21 years of age. Females comprise 62 percent of the class and males, 38 percent.

About Keynote Speaker, President Robert J. Jones

Robert J. Jones was appointed by the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees on September 12, 2012 as the 19th president of the University at Albany. Previously, Jones had served as senior vice president for academic administration at the University of Minnesota System since 2004. Prior, Jones spent more than 15 years in key administrative leadership positions at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, including vice president and executive vice provost for faculty and academic programs, vice president for campus life and vice provost for faculty and academic personnel, interim vice president for student development and president of the University of Minnesota Outreach, Research and Education (UMore) Park Development, LLC.   Since arriving at UAlbany, Jones has stressed the following four areas as top priorities for the University:

• The expansion of degree-granting and research programs to meet demands in high-growth, high-needs areas, such as engineering, big data analytics, and allied health sciences;
• The recruitment and enrollment of more out-of-state and international students to ensure the diversity of perspectives that equips students to succeed in today’s global society;
• The strengthening of the University’s engagement with the Capital Region, New York State and the world, forging partnerships that leverage UAlbany’s academic expertise to solve society’s most pressing issues; and to sustain the excellence that currently exists; and
• The growth of the University’s financial resources, tripling external funding for cutting-edge research, and doubling the University at Albany Foundation’s endowment through gifts from alumni, parents, and friends that support students, faculty, and academic programs.  

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