UAlbany Ready to Celebrate Commencement 2024
By Mike Nolan
ALBANY, N.Y. (May 7, 2024) — The University at Albany is gearing up to host its 180th commencement from May 9-12 — highlighted by a series of individual stage crossings and the University-wide outdoor undergraduate ceremony.
More than 4,650 graduates are set to receive their degrees during Commencement 2024 festivities. This includes graduates from the summer and fall of 2023, winter of 2024 and those expecting to complete their degree in spring 2024.
All ceremonies will be livestreamed and recorded. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #UAlbanyGrad.
“I am so proud of the University at Albany Class of 2024, and I look forward to celebrating them at our commencement ceremonies,” said President Havidán Rodríguez. “The students graduating this year overcame the adversity of beginning their college career during a pandemic and used their time at UAlbany to conduct groundbreaking research, achieve academic excellence, build community, and lay the groundwork for incredible futures. There is no limit to the greatness these Great Danes will unleash once they graduate.”
Honoring New Graduates
The festivities begin on Thursday and Friday, when undergraduate students will be individually recognized throughout each day in small groups with their guests at school/college-based stage crossings at the Broadview Center, formerly known as the SEFCU Arena, a 3,800-seat multi-purpose arena and home to the UAlbany men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Graduates will cross three stages in regalia in front of family, friends and faculty. This concept was brought back by popular demand after the success of the “Great Dane Graduation Experience.”
“Everyone loves the stage crossings, which are vibrant and intimate and give families and friends an up-close and personal experience,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Carol Kim. “Graduates walk through campus to the stage accompanied by their families or invited guests, and there are great opportunities for photos and interaction. As provost, it’s wonderful to be able to greet the families personally — an opportunity you don’t have at a big ceremony.”
Following the undergraduate stage crossings on Friday, UAlbany will host its Baccalaureate Torch Reception from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Lecture Center Concourse on the Uptown Campus, overlooking the Main Fountain. One of UAlbany’s longest-standing commencement traditions, the event will honor the Class of 2024 as they pass the torch to the rising Class of 2025.
University-wide Ceremony
On Saturday, the University-wide undergraduate ceremony will be held, rain or shine, at the Entry Plaza lawn on the Uptown Campus from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Graduates will be recognized together with peers by school and college.
The Class of 2024 student speaker is Megan Van Vort, outgoing president of the Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program. Van Vort is a dual major in psychology and Spanish and has been admitted to UAlbany’s master’s in mental health counseling program. Actress Nora Lum, B.A.’11 (known professionally as Awkwafina) and novelist, essayist and playwright Caryl Phillips will receive honorary degrees, officially conferred by President Rodríguez.
Following the University-wide ceremony, a doctoral stage crossing and hooding celebration will take place in Broadview Center from 3 to 5 p.m. PhD recipients will be individually recognized in front of family, friends and faculty to honor this significant accomplishment. The stage crossings for master’s degree and graduate certificate recipients will take place on Sunday at the Broadview Center.
UAlbany is also hosting a number of special recognition ceremonies this week, including the Lavender Celebration honoring the achievements of graduating LGBTQ+ students and their supporters on Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom, and an international celebration, hosted by the Center for International Education and Global Strategy, on Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. Florinda Gjypi, an international student from Albania, will be featured as the graduating international student speaker.
By the Numbers
An estimated 2,934 undergraduates from the Class of 2024 are set to receive degrees, including recipients who completed their degrees last summer and fall as well as over the winter. Among the 2,048 students completing their degrees in May, 34 percent are first-generation college graduates and 27 are veterans. The undergraduate degree recipients range in age from 19 to 68, with an average age of 23. Women make up 55 percent of the class. The graduates hail from 21 states, including New York, and 26 countries outside the United States. They will receive degrees in 55 different majors.
Another 1,719 students from the Class of 2024 are expected to receive master’s degrees, doctoral degrees and graduate certificates, including recipients who completed their degrees last summer and fall as well as over the winter. Among them are 1,047 students finishing graduate programs in May. These graduate students come from 18 states, including New York, and 36 nations outside the United States. The average age of the graduate degree recipients is 28, with the oldest graduate student set to receive a doctoral degree at age 71, and the youngest receiving a master’s degree at age 20. Among them are nine veterans.