Dear UAlbany Community,
As we mark the end of another academic year, I am reflecting upon all we have accomplished together. This year was full of celebrations, milestones, and meaningful progress toward our goals.
Over the weekend, we celebrated nearly 4,900 University at Albany students who earned degrees this year. Commencement is always a powerful reminder of the life-changing work we do at UAlbany and this year was no exception. I hope you will take a moment to look through the excellent photos and watch a recap video from this year’s celebration. This year’s graduate commencement ceremony, the first we’ve held in several years, was a fantastic addition to the festivities. Our guest speakers, Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs (MPH ’05, DrPH ’14) and Dr. Joachim Frank, who also was our honorary degree recipient, provided insightful and inspiring remarks.
I want to thank the many volunteers who made these commencement festivities possible – these events would not be possible without you!
A highlight of the semester was the April homecoming of Dr. Omar M. Yaghi, Nobel Laureate and UAlbany graduate. His words about the power of public education to change lives and reframing failures as “increments toward success” were edifying. I hope you will take a few moments to watch this excellent recap video from his visit:
Another highlight was UAlbany Showcase, our fourth annual event and the largest yet. More than 2,600 student presenters were supported by more than 400 faculty advisors plus an army of volunteers to pull off this campus-wide event highlighting the tremendous diversity of research, scholarship, and creative works our students are engaged in. It is truly an incredible feat – congratulations to all who participated!
This semester we also made significant progress toward expanding our global presence through new and growing partnerships in India with Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences and Ramaiah Institute of Science and Management. Our partnership with RISM is a unique opportunity for UAlbany to collaborate with an international partner as the institution is being brought to life. The university’s industry-aligned approach complements UAlbany’s deep teaching and research expertise in areas like computer science, engineering, and nanotechnology.
Our academic offerings also continue to expand. This semester we welcomed the first cohort of students to our new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and launched a new Master of Science in AI for Business. In the fall, we will welcome the first cohorts of students into our new Bachelor of Science programs in Mechanical and Design Engineering and Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering.
Each of your contributions is essential to our progress. Thank you for all that you do. I hope you all have a restful and productive summer.
Sincerely,
Havidán Rodríguez
President