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ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Thousands of parents, family members, alumni, and
friends will be on hand on Saturday, May 17, to honor the Class of 2008 at
the SUNY College at Oneonta's 119th
Commencement. Carl
T. Hayden, Chairman of the SUNY Board of Trustees, will be the Commencement
speaker. Honorary SUNY doctorates will be presented to Cooperstown resident
Hugh MacDougall, a retired diplomat and noted Cooper scholar, and to Dr.
Angelo Scopelianos, a 1977 graduate of the College who serves as the Vice
President for Research and Development at Johnson & Johnson's Center for
Biomaterials and Advanced Technologies.
The College will offer two ceremonies in the Dewar Arena of the Alumni
Field House, one at 10 a.m. and one at noon. Depending on their major,
students will attend one of the ceremonies. Following each of the
ceremonies, the graduates and their guests will participate in one of
several divisional ceremonies, where the graduates will receive individual
diplomas and awards.
In all, over 1,500 students are expected to be awarded degrees.
Participants in the annual ceremony will include graduates who completed the
requirements for bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and certificates of
advanced study in the summer or fall of 2007 or the spring of 2008. At the
ceremony, College President Alan B. Donovan will offer the welcome and
introduction of honored guests, and Patrick Brown, Chair of the College
Council, will greet the assembly.
President Donovan and Provost F. Daniel Larkin will recognize Music
Professor Janet Nepkie for her promotion to SUNY Distinguished Service
Professor. They will confer the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in
Teaching to Associate Professor Stephen Walsh of the Department of
Management, Marketing and Information Systems; Associate Professor Donna
Vogler of the Biology Department; and Assistant Professor William Ashbaugh
of the History Department. Associate Librarian and Acting Head of Reference
and Instruction Nancy Cannon will receive the Chancellor's Award for
Excellence in Librarianship. Associate Vice President for Facilities Thomas
Rathbone will receive the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional
Service.
President Donovan and Provost Larkin will confer the degrees on
graduates. Chairman Hayden and Mr. Brown will join President Donovan in
presenting honorary SUNY doctorates to Mr. MacDougall and Dr. Scopelianos.
Upon receipt of their honorary degrees, they will offer a response to the
graduates. The address to graduates will be presented by Chairman Hayden.
Senior class President Matthew Harrington will offer remarks. Alumni
Association President Richard Reed '78 will greet the College's newest
alumni.
Music for the ceremonies will be provided by the Catskill Brass under the
direction of Professor Carleton Clay. Selections will include the premier
performance of "Recessional, Oneonta '08," an original piece composed by
Professor Clay and dedicated to the graduating class.
The Mohawk Valley Frasers will provide bagpipe music for the processional
and recessional. Vocalist Luis Castro of the Class of 2008 will lead the
audience in singing the national anthem and the alma mater.
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