Graduates Honored at Five Commencement Ceremonies

SUNY Plattsburgh honored graduates in the Class of 2021 Saturday, hosting four commencement experiences for more than 700 students, faculty and staff at the Field House May 15.

The college also held a virtual event for those students who did not wish to or were not able to attend in person.

Graduates were able to walk the dais to receive congratulations from President Alexander Enyedi in front of limited numbers of classmates and faculty at the abbreviated ceremonies throughout the day. Each ceremony was streamed live. Videos of each program will also be placed on the college website.

Platform guests were limited this year as well and included college vice presidents, deans and representatives of the college council. Platform members as well as faculty were already seated as student walked in to the sounds of Pomp and Circumstance.

Student speakers greeted their classmates at each of the ceremonies and then directed them in moving their tassels from right to left, signifying their graduate status. In keeping with tradition, the new SUNY Plattsburgh alumni were escorted out by bagpipers. The gymnasium was sanitized between each ceremony.

“I want to take a moment to thank you for attending SUNY Plattsburgh,” Enyedi told graduates assembled. “We are a better institution because of your presence on campus.

“For all of you, the last part of your college experience has been incredibly challenging and tough. No one in 100 years has faced the difficulties of a pandemic, the shift in expectations and the dramatic altering of your course work and college life. But you have persevered and overcome, which is cause for celebration. You have demonstrated what Cardinal Strong means,” he said.

“Your peers here today, elsewhere on campus and those watching by livestream in a thousand places commend you and celebrate with you. As do I.”

The lead-up to graduation included registration by students wishing to attend, pre-check-ins at the Angell College Center where faculty, staff and students were verified as being fully vaccinated or having had a negative COVID test within 72 hours of graduation day and received color-coded bracelets that corresponded to the ceremony they would be attending.

The virtual Zoom event allowed graduates to participate in regalia as they were welcomed by the president, hear remarks by a fellow remote student and hear their names read off as if in person.

To all graduates, Enyedi imparted: “You will take the opportunities and experience you’ve had and achieve much. We are proud of each of you who have graduated — especially our first-generation students who are graduating today. At this moment, in this building, I want you to know how proud I am of your accomplishments to this point in your lives.”

For more information on Commencement 2021, including links to the live stream ceremonies, go to plattsburgh.edu/commencement.