Celebrate good times

If you’ve been working your tail off this semester or want to celebrate with your departing friends, here’s your chance. There’s a number of commencement ceremonies happening in the final days of the school year.

Don’t spend your days cooped up inside Capen studying, show up to some of this semester’s upcoming graduation events.

May 11

The LGBTQ Lavender Reception - 3:00 p.m. in the Student Union

Between 50 to 75 people, including 19 graduates, will be attending the reception. Justin Azzarella, the vice president of community development at EvergreenHealth, will be the keynote speaker at the reception. One student will receive an LGBTQ Lavender Award, as well.

May 17

The ALANA Celebration of Achievement - 3:00 p.m. in the Center for the Arts

527 students are registered to attend the celebration and 1,500 people are expected to be in attendance. Clayton Steen, the vice president for enrollment and marketing of SUNY Empire State College, will be the guest speaker at the celebration.

May 18

School of Nursing - 9:00 a.m. in Alumni Arena

All graduating students will participant in this ceremony. 160 students will be in attendance and the school will distribute 15 awards.

Mary Alice Hall, vice president of clinical education and professional practice at Kaleida Health’s Center for Clinical Excellence, will deliver the keynote address.

Graduate School of Education - 9:00 a.m. in the Center for the Arts (graduates)

Over 200 students will participate in this year’s ceremony. Doctoral graduates from the Graduate School of Education will take the stage in CFA and a special hooding ceremony will recognize their accomplishments.

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - 1:00 p.m. in Alumni Arena (graduates)

More than 500 students will be at the SEAS ceremony. UB alum Victor Bahl, a distinguished scientist, director mobility and networking research at Microsoft Artificial Intelligence research division at Microsoft Corporation, will deliver the keynote address at the ceremony.

College of Arts and Sciences - 1:00 p.m. in the Center for the Arts (graduates)

School of Architecture and Planning - 5:00 p.m. in the Center for the Arts

111 undergraduate and 113 graduate students are scheduled to take part in the ceremony. Daniel B. Hess, associate professor and chair of department of urban and regional planning, will be the commencement speaker.

School of Management - 5:00 p.m. in Alumni Arena (graduates)

About 400 students will accept their degrees and three students will be awarded for their achievements in the school.

University Honors College - 6:00 p.m. in Slee Hall.

152 undergraduate honor scholars will take the stage. Ann Bisantz, ‘89 honor college class and dean of undergraduate education in the department of industrial and system engineering, will be the commencement’s annual alumni speaker.

The Christopher Peterson Commitment to Service Award and the Chen-Kuo and Amy Chang Memorial Award will be awarded to two students, as well.

May 19

School of Management - 9:00 a.m. in Alumni Arena (undergraduates)

About 675 students will take the stage. The school will distribute three student awards, including the Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key and SUNY Chancellor’s Award.

School of Social Work - 9:00 a.m. in the Center for the Arts (graduates)

About 180 graduate students will take the stage. Rahwa Ghirmatzion, deputy director of PUSH Buffalo, will be the guest speaker. The school is handing out 19 different awards.

School of Public Health and Health Professions - 1:00 p.m. in the Center for the Arts

120 students are scheduled to take part in the ceremony. Dr. Nancy Nielsen, a clinical professor in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will be the keynote speaker.

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - 2:30 p.m. in Alumni Arena (undergraduates)

Approximately 630 students will take the stage. Dr. Gina Lee-Glauser, vice president of research and scholarship at Clarkson University, will be the guest speaker.

School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences - 5:00 p.m. in the Center for the Arts

160 students in total will take the stage and 10 awards will be handed out by the school. Guest speaker Dr. Gordon Amidon, ‘67 alum, will be honored with a SUNY honorary doctorate of science.

May 20

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences - 9:30 a.m. in the Center for the Arts

151 undergraduate and 63 graduate students will take part at the ceremony. Dr. Lauren O. Bakaletz, a principal investigator and director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, will deliver the keynote address.

College of Arts and Sciences - 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. in Alumni Arena (undergraduates)

Over 1,500 graduates are registered to take the stage in the ceremonies on Sunday. 700 graduating seniors will wake up early for the morning ceremony and 800 will take the stage in the afternoon.

Moses Kwang Jin Chung, a senior biological sciences major and mathematics and physics minor, will speak in the morning. Troy Wood, a professor in the department of chemistry, will be the morning’s faculty speaker.
Fareesa Mahmood, a senior international trade major, will speak in the afternoon along with faculty speaker Wendy Quinton, a clinical associate professor in the department of psychology.
Graduates will be able to celebrate while they wait with photo booths and entertainment in Alumni Arena.

School of Law - 3:00 p.m. in the Center for the Arts

146 graduates will be at the celebration and over 1,000 will attend the law school ceremony. Local trial attorney Terrence M. Connors, UB ‘71 alum, will deliver a keynote address. Prior, select students will be rewarded for their time in the program, including the Dale S. Margulis Award and the Dolores Denman Award for a graduating parent.

May 23

Educational Opportunity Center - 7:00 p.m. in Slee Hall

Approximately 100 students will participate in the commencement ceremony. Kevin Smith, New York state education department deputy commissioner for adult career and continuing education services, will deliver the keynote address.

Benjamin Blanchet, Wanly Chen and Erik Tingue are features editors and can be reached at features@ubspectrum.com.

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