Out and About

By Kelsey M. O'Brien
Photos by Mark Schmidt

Spring Commencement

Roughly 2,000 undergraduate and 875 graduate candidates participated in UAlbany’s Spring 2011 Commencement ceremonies May 14 and 15. The undergraduate class continues to reflect the rich diversity of the UAlbany student body:

• Degrees were conferred in 50 majors, including business, psychology, communications, accounting, English, sociology, political science, history and biology.
• Students represented 20 states and 54 countries, including China, the Republic of Korea, Afghanistan, Belarus, Ecuador, Ghana, Haiti, Italy, Israel, Japan, Pakistan, Trinidad, Tobago, Togo and Vietnam.

Above left, no amount of rain could stop undergraduates, their families and friends from celebrating!

Above right, student speaker Cameron Waldman spoke about the bonds he and his classmate formed at UAlbany, and the strength that students and alumni alike should find in them.

TD Bank Sponsors Entrepreneurship Opportunities

More than 100 local business leaders from the Capital Region attended a networking breakfast sponsored by TD Bank. The June 7 program included insights from a panel of successful business leaders: Carolyn Jones, publisher of The Business Review; Elizabeth Coco, founder of MicroKnowledge; Michael Hoffman, president of Turf Hotels; Hamdi Ulukaya, president and CEO of Argo Farms/Chobani; and School of Business Dean Donald Siegel.

John E. Burton Lecture

Rep. Paul Tonko delivered the 27th annual John E. Burton Lecture at Page Hall on the downtown campus before an audience of 125. A highlight of the April 27 event was a ceremony honoring six Distinguished Public Service Awards recipients for their service to the citizens of New York.

Left to right: Pictured after the annual Burton Lecture are Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy Dean Jeffrey Straussman; award recipient Pete Grannis; UAlbany President George Philip; Rep. Paul Tonko; School of Criminal Justice Dean Alan Lizotte; Deborah Campbell (accepting on behalf of Thomas A. Constantine); award recipient William B. Hedberg; School of Education Dean Robert Bangert-Drowns; School of Social Welfare Dean Katharine Briar-Lawson; award recipient Michael J. Castellana; award recipient Kathleen Tanner; School of Public Health Dean Philip Nasca; and College of Computing and Information Dean Peter Bloniarz.