UAlbany Announces Commencement, December 11

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UAlbany Announces Commencement, December 11
Oliver T. Tang receives first doctorate in biology with nanotechnology concentration

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980

ALBANY, N.Y. (December 8, 2005) -- The University at Albany's December commencement will be held on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. in the Recreation and Convocation Center (RACC) on the uptown campus.

The University will award 406 bachelor's degrees and 449 graduate degrees, including 88 doctoral degrees. Undergraduates hail from 22 different countries, including Bangladesh, Belarus, Egypt, India, Ireland, China, Columbia and Mexico. The graduate candidates represent 27 countries, including Russia, Poland, Pakistan, Jamaica, China and Brazil.

President Kermit L. Hall will address the graduates and their friends and families, and Brianne Myers, graduating summa cum laude with degrees in criminal justice and psychology, will speak on the elements of success. Myers, a Fredonia native, intends to pursue graduate work in higher education with a concentration in student affairs in fall 2006.

As a result of a unique and historic collaboration between the Department of Biology and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), UAlbany will award the first graduate degree in biology with a concentration in nanotechnology. Oliver T. Tang will receive the doctorate, which focuses on nanoscale sensor development for biological applications.

School of Social Welfare student Alice King Ingham will receive her doctorate, after dedicating more than twenty years of service as a social work practitioner. During her doctoral studies, King Ingham served the School of Social Welfare as assistant dean for outreach and admissions. She worked with Schuyler and Giffen Elementary Schools to foster parent-led Parent Resource Centers, and her work has become a centerpiece of the Family Support Network of the Capital Region (now led by United Way). She is on the faculty of Radford College in their School of Social Work.

2005 President's Award for Leadership winners:

Lawrence Migliore is an economics major from Hastings. He is a past Student Association president, a resident assistant, an orientation assistant; and vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society. Migliore will be a flag bearer in the graduation ceremony.
Jorge Vasquez, Jr. graduates with a degree in Africana studies. The New York City native has served as president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and also as a Student Association senator and as a resident assistant. Vasquez helped organize a variety of community service events including the annual Halloween Haunted House for children, a Black Solidarity Day march and vigil; and programs on HIV/AIDS awareness. He is also a recipient of a 2005 President's Award for Leadership.
Kasandra Cliff is a human biology major and presidential scholar from Hamlin. She has volunteered for the Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service and chaired the Five Quad board of directors. Cliff has also served as a patient care associate at Albany Medical Center, and holds memberships in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Phi Delta Epsilon co-ed medical fraternity.

For more information about UAlbany's December commencement, visit the commencement web site, or e-mail [email protected].

For more information on Oliver Tang, the first doctoral candidate awarded a degree in biology with a concentration in nanotechnology visit CNSE.

MEDIA NOTE: Media are welcome at UAlbany's commencement ceremonies. Media will have access to most areas of the Recreation and Convocation Center (RACC). An area will be roped off at stage left/house right for those that wish to set up tripods, etc. Parking will be available via the RACC bus turnaround - plan to see the UPD officer stationed at the entrance.