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Commencement 2021 was unique compared to years past, but no less celebratory as more than 3,250 students crossed the stage in 27 separate Grad Walks — two for doctoral candidates, two each for the College of Community and Public Affairs and Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, four for the School of Management, five for the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and 12 for Harpur College of Arts and Sciences.

Grad Walks were held over four days, from May 13-16, with an overarching virtual ceremony that premiered May 13 on the University’s YouTube channel. All Grad Walks were livestreamed and remain available there as well. (See all direct links below.)

The Grad Walks allowed for proper social distancing, yet students were able to cross the Events Center stage as their names were read and cameras clicked.

Calling the Class of 2021 one of the most distinguished classes in ��ñ��’s history, President Harvey Stenger spoke of challenges overcome. “This has been a remarkable class, marked most notably by the COVID-19 pandemic, which required finding new ways to learn, to conduct research and scholarship,” he said. “And perhaps most importantly, finding new ways to build and strengthen the social ties that define one’s college years.”

“Your nation and the world need your talents today more than ever,” Stenger said. “But most of all, we need people who are committed and engaged practitioners working to make society better, one decision at a time. Looking around there are many challenges ahead of us, but because of you, our graduates, I remain confident and optimistic about the future.

“Developing a passion involves hard work, investing time and intelligence,” Stenger added. “I hope that ��ñ�� has given you the tools to find your passion, one that you will continue to renew and rediscover and in doing so let ��ñ�� inform you of your future.”

“You have demonstrated that you are hard-working, intellectually curious and eager to make the most of all that this great University has to offer,” Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald Nieman said. “You’ve also demonstrated an amazing ability to adapt, during what was a tumultuous end to your time on our campus. Even with the uncertainties caused by the pandemic, you have shown that you have a great sense of humor, like to have fun and care about serving others.

“You embody the balance that makes ��ñ�� a great place to work and study,” Nieman said.

Each Grad Walk included brief remarks from the individual school’s dean as well as Stenger or Nieman, who reminded graduates that they endured. “You not only survived. You thrived. You dug deep, you persevered, you succeeded,” Nieman said.

One ceremony, however, was held in person — the inaugural Commencement for the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences that was held in the Anderson Center’s Osterhout Concert Theater Friday, May 14.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras joined the ceremony, watching as the PharmD graduates were hooded as they crossed the stage, marking the achievements of the first graduates of the new school.

Founding Dean Gloria Meredith thanked the graduates for helping to build a school everyone can be proud of, noting that they were destined to become professional pharmacists.

“What we did not know for certain, however, was what fine and caring people they would become, willing and able to respond during a crisis while fulfilling all of their degree requirements, knowledgeable and able to counsel patients in need, and ready to play a critical role on the healthcare team,” she said.

Stenger congratulated the graduates as well as the faculty and administration for realizing the vision and commitment it took to reach this milestone. “Together, this class has blazed a trail that will be followed by every succeeding class, and I must say, you have set a very high bar,” he said. “Earning your PharmD is a tremendous accomplishment and places you in a position to have an impact.”

As the only in-person — but still socially distanced — ceremony of the year, the pharmacy Commencement also allowed for remarks from a student and a keynote address.

Oluwafemi Popoola spoke as a representative of his fellow PharmD graduates, leaving them with three thoughts:

• Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it burned in one. So be patient, and move slowly and cautiously.
• Anything worth doing is worth doing right, so even if there is no grade attached to one’s work, it doesn’t mean it’s not important.
• And this last should be highlighted in red, Popoola said: “Failure isn’t the absence of success; it is the neglect of trying. So try. And if you try, genuinely, nothing can be considered a failure.”

Leigh Briscoe-Dwyer, system director of pharmacy for the UHS Health System in Johnson City, reprised her role as keynote speaker. She also spoke at the Class of 2021’s White Coat Ceremony in September 2017.

Briscoe-Dwyer reminded the graduates that, in 2017, she told them they had a responsibility for greatness, and they have achieved it. “Together you created a pharmacy program with extracurricular activities, professional student organizations and student outreach programs — all things that pharmacy students today take for granted,” she said. “In today’s environment where you are always looking to distinguish yourself from other pharmacy candidates, don’t forget what you helped build here.”

After relating how she had overcome fear and become stronger and empowered by going skydiving, Briscoe-Dwyer urged the graduates to overcome their own fears because they have already accomplished a great deal.

“You all took a risk — a giant leap of faith — in accepting a seat at a brand-new college of pharmacy in a state where there were already seven schools. … And your instinct was right,” Briscoe-Dwyer added before suggesting graduates frame their diploma and put it in a place where they will see it every day.

“When you look at it, see it as a symbol that you can do scary things and be successful, and as a reminder to trust your instinct because that is the most important tool you will ever have. … The world is waiting. It’s time to trust your instincts, close your eyes and leap!”

Links to all ceremonies