Convocation ceremony ushers in 2015-16 academic year
Representatives of administrative offices and academic departments donned traditional caps and gowns and were joined by a bevy of faculty, staff, alumni and student volunteers in welcoming new first-year and transfer students at the 2015 SUNY New Paltz Convocation ceremony on Aug. 21.
The ceremony opened with a procession of enthusiastic new students into the Athletic & Wellness Center (AWC), the site of this year’s ceremony. Faculty Grand Marshal Sue Books, professor of secondary education, then led the faculty and administrative staff to their seats, and turned the program over to President Donald P. Christian.
“Today our College community gathers to salute our newest cohort of students, and take up its work of preparing them to excel in rapidly changing times that demand creativity and worldliness,” Christian said. “Convocation grounds our academic community in our basic values, uniting us in our shared purpose, and reaffirms the importance of learning, discovery and creation, and the special wonder of engaging in collaborative work.”
Following Christian’s introductions of academic deans and key administrative figures, Books stepped to the podium to offer an address on behalf of the College faculty. She spoke candidly to the gathered students about the value of the prospects that lie before them.
“You should be proud of the efforts and achievements that have led you to this educational opportunity,” Books said. “Your college years should provide you with the time, space and intellectual support to think about who you are as a member of the broader society, and about the contributions you can and want to make to it.”
A student welcome was offered by Christina Waterman ’15 (Marketing) who is returning for graduate study this fall. She encouraged students who may be feeling uncertain about the paths they wish to take as they embark on this next phase of their lives’ journeys.
“As a high school graduate I thought I knew everything about the world, but looking back, the truth is I had no idea,” Waterman said. “But it’s okay to have questions and to be unsure, to make mistakes and fix them, to fall down and get back up again. During my time at SUNY New Paltz I was transformed by the people and the experiences that crossed my path. We are all lucky to be students at a warm university whose members go out of their way to share the gift of opportunity with us.”
Another address was given on behalf of New Paltz alumni by Chris Peterson ’08 (Childhood Education 1-6), who highlighted the importance of carrying over the good habits and strong work ethic developed at college into personal and professional endeavors after graduation.
“I came to realize that being hired for the first time is only the beginning,” Peterson said. “I learned I had to treat every day like it was a job interview: avoiding complacency, working hard and making myself better and more dynamic every day.”
Having absorbed these words of encouragement, Convocation participants were invited out to the field adjacent to the AWC, where Campus Auxiliary Services had prepared a barbeque picnic lunch. New students sat side by side with faculty and staff, and together enjoyed a late summer chance to relax before classes and attendant responsibilities renew next week.