University to host four Commencement ceremonies

04/30/2024 

SUNY Cortland’s seniors and graduate students will advance to the next stage in their lives during Commencement weekend, Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, in Park Center Alumni Arena.

The university’s graduate Commencement ceremony will take place on May 10. Three undergraduate Commencement ceremonies will be held on May 11.

The undergraduate ceremonies will begin at 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on May 11. The graduate ceremony starts at 7 p.m. on May 10. Undergraduate receptions following the first two ceremonies will start at 11 a.m. and at 4 p.m. on May 11 in Lusk Field House.

A total of 1,532 seniors applied to graduate during the 2023-24 academic year and many will don cap and gown to receive bachelor’s degrees for the 2023-24 academic year during the three undergraduate ceremonies.

The university also will award 264 master’s degrees and 22 Certificates of Advanced Study.

“Commencement always brings so much joy to SUNY Cortland, especially for our students and their loved ones,” university President Erik J. Bitterbaum said. “Many years of hard work and sacrifice culminate in these special ceremonies. For our graduates, Commencement serves as a celebration of achievement, a testament to their perseverance and a passage to extraordinary possibilities.”

This year, the 10 most popular majors at SUNY Cortland are: early childhood and childhood education (159), exercise science (154), physical education (147), sport management (128), business economics (107), psychology (91), inclusive childhood education (88), communication studies (62), speech and hearing science (55) and criminology (52).

This year’s undergraduate Commencement speakers are Ernest Logan ’73, president emeritus of the

American Federation of School Administrators and recipient of this year’s SUNY honorary doctor of humane letters; Bonni Hodges, SUNY distinguished service professor and professor in the Health Department; and Steven Broyles, SUNY distinguished teaching professor and a professor in the Biological Sciences Department.

Logan, who served as a vice president of the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the U.S., will present at 9:30 a.m. during the first ceremony. Logan successfully helped negotiate salary increases, health care stability and school reforms, instituting a rating system for principals based on school performance and leadership. He also was a leading advocate for New York City’s Pre-K for All program. Logan is the vice chair of the Cortland College Foundation Board of Directors.

Hodges, whose far-reaching work spans local wellness programs, college athletics and international scholarship, will speak at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony. Since 2020, she has led the Institute for Division III Athlete Well-being and Athletic Leadership, which focuses on the unique needs of NCAA student-athletes. Hodges is the co-author of a book, Assessment and Planning in Health Programs, and has written peer-reviewed articles for journals including Health Promotion Practice and the Journal of School Health.

Broyles, a recipient of the 2002 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, will speak at the 7 p.m. ceremony. Broyles has earned numerous National Science Foundation grants to fund his scholarship and assist in the development of new coursework. He also has mentored more than 40 students involved in undergraduate research. Broyles has led important local tree inventories, including the initiation of SUNY Cortland’s Tree Advisory Committee which helped earn recognition as a Tree Campus USA.

Maeve Brady of Fayetteville, N.Y., who will be graduating with an M.A.T. in adolescence education: English this May, will deliver the Graduate Commencement speech. With a 4.0 grade point average, Brady has achieved equally high marks in English and educational courses. As the first student in the program to student teach as an intern, Brady is blazing the way for future cohorts of M.A.T students. During the semester, she will take over the full teaching load of her mentor on maternity leave in Moravia, N.Y.

SUNY Cortland has graduated almost 88,500 students, and this year’s class will join the ranks of alumni who reside in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., three U.S. territories and 54 other countries. Daniel Walker ’06, president of the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, will address the university’s newest alumni after each undergraduate ceremony and Jamie Piperato ’12, the association’s immediate past president, will address new alumni at Graduate Commencement.

The university does not require face coverings in most public indoor spaces. Any guests who are feeling ill or have symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to stay home. Visitors may learn more about the university’s COVID-19 policies online.

Details on all 2024 Commencement ceremonies, including links to live video streams of the events, are available on SUNY Cortland’s Commencement website.