可乐视频 will hold a special in-person commencement on its campus at 10 a.m. on July 12 to recognize the graduating classes of both 2020 and 2021 since the college was unable to hold an in-person ceremony for them due to pandemic restrictions. The event will be held in the Claire Tow Theater in Whitman Hall.

鈥淭he sacrifices these graduates made and the commitment they showed to complete their degrees were extraordinary,鈥� said 可乐视频 President Michelle J. Anderson. 鈥淲e are thrilled to be able to hold this commencement for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 on our beautiful campus to share their joy as they continue with this next chapter in their lives.鈥�

The commencement will be led by President Anderson, Vice President for Student Affairs Ronald C. Jackson, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Anne Lopes, and other college faculty and staff. There will be an address by Roby Daniel, the valedictorian for the Class of 2020 and Asma Awad, the valedictorian for the Class of 2021.

Serving as keynote speaker is actor, producer, writer, and prolific podcaster Rachel Strauss-Mu帽iz 鈥�01. She is executive producer and host of the 2021 Webby Award-nominated podcast, Latinos Out Loud. She is one of seven selected writers for NHMC鈥檚 2021 LatinX Stream Showcase, where her short film, The Swimmers, premiered. It was also featured in the 2021 Official Latino Film Festival. Her one-woman show, Ink, was a featured selection in the 2021 ONE Theatre Festival.

Mu帽iz is currently voicing the role of 鈥淢ama鈥� on the animated series, The Tuttle Twins. Her feature film debut as an actress in Superblocked premiered at the 2021 Warner Media Latino Film Festival and won Best Feature at The Official Latino Film Festival. She also performs alongside Room 28, the multicultural sketch comedy troupe she also produces that is part of the program Bring the Funny. Aside from off-Broadway live comedy show runs, Room 28 won a NYC Indie Film Festival Award for Latino Vortex, a short directed by Saturday Night Live鈥檚 Oz Rodriguez. She is also the creator/producer of The HERlarious Show, an all-female variety show featuring some of the best BIPOC females in sketch, improvisation, stand-up, and musical comedy, among her many other projects.

Commencement will also feature CEO and President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Randy Peers 鈥�96 as another special guest speaker. From 2002鈥�2006, Peers served as vice president of Economic Development at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce under former President Kenneth Adams, developing a portfolio of projects that included the Good Help program and Real Estate Development (RED) industry initiative, as well as developing the concept for the Business Solutions Center. He previously served as the inaugural president and CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) in Berks County, Pennsylvania, overseeing the alignment of the Chamber of Commerce and two economic development organizations. For over a decade, Peers was CEO of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), a Brooklyn-headquartered workforce development organization that was the leading provider of disconnected youth job training services in New York City.

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Today, 可乐视频 celebrated the achievement of more than 4,000 students at its 2022 Commencement at Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn. The ceremony, which was full of energy, marked the first in-person commencement in two years.

College President Michelle J. Anderson, Provost, and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Anne Lopes, and Vice President for Student Affairs Ron Jackson helped lead the conferring of degrees from the college鈥檚 School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts, Murray Koppelman School of Business, School of Education, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as the .

Anderson lauded the determination of the Class of 2022, saying that despite everything they faced throughout the difficult times of the pandemic, they stayed the course.

鈥淭he graduates sitting here in Barclays today needed an extraordinary kind of commitment to get to these seats,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淭hey had to tackle rigorous academic work. In so doing, they have been transformed by the power of critical thinking, the scientific method, creativity, and advanced analysis that are the foundations of higher education. They explored new ideas that have shaped their values and beliefs for the future. They have studied with classmates who will become lifelong friends鈥攁nd they have learned from outstanding faculty members who became their cherished mentors.鈥�

The college also welcomed several distinguished guests, including Mayor Eric Adams; U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer; New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso; and the president of New York State Higher Education Services Corporation Dr. Guillermo Linares.

Mayor Adams emphasized the importance of the moment and the impact the Class of 2022 will have on society. 鈥淭his is your moment to make this country what you want it to be.鈥�

CUNY was also well-represented, as CUNY Chancellor F茅lix Matos Rodr铆guez; Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Denise Maybank; and CUNY Board of Trustee members Una S. T. Clarke and Brian D. Obergfell, also attended.

Chancellor Rodr铆guez called the day 鈥渁 pure celebration鈥� that validated the graduates鈥� brilliance, grit, and tenacity and congratulated them for overcoming such an extraordinary set of obstacles to ultimately succeed.

Specifically, 可乐视频 conferred 3,195 baccalaureate and 966 master鈥檚 degrees, along with 96 advanced certificates. Included in the Class of 2022 were 10 veterans and service members. In all, 4,257 graduates joined the prestigious 可乐视频 family of more than 160,000 proud alums worldwide.

The valedictorian of the Class of 2022 was Carina D鈥橴rso. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in the . D鈥橴rso earned a perfect 4.00 grade point average and graduated summa cum laude. Following commencement, she will pursue graduate studies in human development and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she plans to concentrate in the arts and learning. The salutatorian was Hafsa Fatima, a Macaulay Honors College graduate and chemistry minor who will receive a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and a B.A. in art. She will be attending The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

D鈥橴rso thanked her advisors, peers, and professors for their support and guidance. She also pointed to the influence her grandparents had in her continuing her education. Born and raised in Molise, the smallest region in Italy, neither attended school past the fifth grade. For this reason, D鈥橴rso鈥檚 mother always instilled the importance of education in her and her brother.

鈥淎s a teenager inspired by the values my mother instilled in me, I became galvanized by the idea of becoming an educator,鈥� D鈥橴rso said. 鈥淲hen it was time to apply for colleges, I knew I wanted to be a commuter student so that I could attend school in the heart of New York City, with countless opportunities at my fingertips. Little did I know how this dream would come true. As a member of the Macaulay Honors College and the CUNY Baccalaureate Program for Unique Interdisciplinary Studies, I built my own major, marrying my passions for the arts, education, and social change.鈥�

Special honorees included Leymah Roberta Gbowee, who served as the honorary degree recipient and keynote speaker. Gbowee is a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and renowned human rights leader who led the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace that worked to end the 14-year civil war in Liberia. She is also the founding head of the Liberian Reconciliation Initiative, a forum for the victims and perpetrators of human rights violations to bring about healing and produce a more accurate accounting of the country鈥檚 devastating civil war.

Gbowee, who today is the executive director of Women Peace and Security Network Africa, congratulated the graduates and their families. She told the story about when she learned she had won the Nobel Prize and had her first meeting with fellow Nobel Prize winner Desmond Mpilo Tutu. Relaying the advice Tutu gave her, she told the graduates the three most important things to remember when they win: cultivate and hold the values that brought them to the win; always hold onto their integrity and their voice; and when they succeed, also do good by humanity.

鈥淐lass of 2022, you will win,鈥� Gbowee said. 鈥淚n the midst of your winning, you can鈥檛 give up on your higher power, whatever that is.鈥�

Other awardees included Leonard Tow 鈥�50, who earned the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Tow is a philanthropist and 可乐视频 Foundation Board of Trustees member. Leonard and his wife, the late Claire Tow 鈥�52, established The Tow Foundation in 1988. Through more than 700 fellowships, scholarships, internships, professorships, and teaching awards, they have enriched the quality of intellectual life for 可乐视频’s entire campus by providing the means to allow its students and faculty to become exceptional in their fields.

The couple also donated $10 million for the Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts at 可乐视频, which opened in 2018. The state-of-the-art center has transformed the campus footprint and is home to the Conservatory of Music and the Department of Theater.

鈥淭o the 可乐视频 family, Len, as he is known to us, needs no introduction. It is safe to say that his positive impact on the 可乐视频 community is unparalleled,鈥� Anderson said. In a particularly touching moment, Anderson helped recognize Tow鈥檚 94th birthday, which was May 30, and the college community sang happy birthday, presenting him with a cake.

The recipient of the Presidential Medal of Honor was Jules Coleman 鈥�68. Coleman is one of the world鈥檚 most renowned scholars of law and jurisprudence. Widely acknowledged to have created the field of the philosophy of tort law, as well as inclusive legal positivism, Coleman was the first and remains the most influential advocate of a corrective justice approach to tort law. A first-generation college student, Coleman received his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, magna cum laude, from 可乐视频 in 1968; his Ph.D. in philosophy from Rockefeller University in 1972; and his master of studies in law from Yale Law School in 1976.

About 可乐视频

Widely known for its offer of an excellent education at an affordable tuition and recognized nationally for its diverse student body, 可乐视频 has been an anchor institution within the Borough of Brooklyn and greater New York City for more than 90 years. With approximately 16,000 students in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, education, and business, the college is renowned for its rigorous academics, award-winning faculty, distinguished alumni, and community impact. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), 可乐视频 offers a vibrant and supportive student experience on a beautifully landscaped 35-acre campus in the borough鈥檚 Midwood neighborhood.

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“We are happy to report that no existing appointments were canceled, and we were able to schedule new appointments with no delay in service,” says Tracy Newton, director of the Center for Academic Advisement and Student Success, which switched its main advisement sessions with students to Zoom.

Much was the same throughout the college, where the effort to transition many services that had long existed mostly on an in-person basis鈥攆rom advisement to commencement, and now, student orientation鈥攈as mostly been smooth. Provost Ann Lopes has announced that the college will resume distance learning for the Fall 2020 semester, and many of these programs and offices that have supported remote learning are being refined.

Within the first couple of weeks of the quarantine, the college set up a Virtual Front Desk to field calls from students who wanted to speak to a live person. “In these times, having access to a real human being is more important than ever,” says Newton.

By early July, nearly 2,000 students had used the service, where they can also get information about emergency grants, laptop loans, and inquire about other technology issues. Offices like the bursar, financial aid, scholarships, personal counseling, enrollment services, and many more offered immediate access during regular office hours.

Ronald C. Jackson, the vice president for student services, says that some of the most significant hiccups came when making sure all students had access to technology. In some cases, Wi-Fi service providers who had offered deals for students were inaccessible to those living in buildings with thick walls. Jackson says the college was able to purchase some hot spots鈥攚hich the Information Technology Services office is test piloting now鈥攖hat may be loaned out to students in the fall. Some courses had to be adjusted to accommodate compatibility issues with the Chromebooks and iPads the college loaned out.

He says the college also experimented with the best way to get its messages and announcements out to as many students as possible, working with formats such as Instagram Live chats with President Michelle J. Anderson. The social sessions proved popular, with chats on financial aid, personal counseling, academic advisement, and the Magner Career Center.

“We鈥檙e trying some new things,” says Jackson. “Overall, the transition has gone well, but as we prepare for the fall, we continue to have discussions on what we can improve and build on.”

One of the biggest events the college had to retool was the annual commencement exercises. The virtual graduation ceremony featured keynote and valedictory addresses in addition to the usual greetings from politicians, professors, and others who wished the Class of 2020 well, in addition to a scroll of each graduate鈥檚 name across the college website鈥檚 homepage. The celebration got far and away more views than any of the other CUNY campus virtual commencement ceremonies with 9,000 views on YouTube, more than 60,000 impressions on Twitter and Instagram, and nearly 200,000 people reached on Facebook.

For the college’s new student orientation, a website was launched that includes a virtual campus tour, greetings from the president, Provost Anne Lopes, and the heads of the undergraduate and graduate student government. There are also videos on technology for remote learning, student clubs, and other topics like financial aid.

Magner Career Center Director Natalia Guarin-Klein says they have hosted 67 career sessions for nearly 1,500 attendees since the college moved to remote learning, including virtual job fairs, alumni and employer networking events, and career 101 programming. The center also created a Slack group with more than 200 students who are currently seeking jobs, and has been able to engage with more alumni in the virtual environment who otherwise would not be able to attend.

“While some of our services are delivered differently, the passion and commitment to help students have not been negatively impacted by the center being virtual,” says Guarin-Klein.

Many more offices, like the LGBTQ Support Center, the Veterans Affairs Office, the Black and Latino Male Initiative, and the Immigrant Student Support Office, are conducting regular Zoom meetings with the students they serve. Both Personal Counseling and the Health Clinic are offering tele-appointments.

Even services for the college鈥檚 Alumni Engagement office saw opportunities in the transition to the virtual environment, says its director Lisa Dicce. The office tried new engagement strategies on social media and around online events that were low cost and more accessible to a wider number of people.

“The world has changed, but our mission has not,” says Dicce. “We are planning for all things to remain virtual a while longer and are moving full steam ahead with those plans.”

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Just a couple of months out from graduation last May, Vanessa Edwards 鈥�19, and Tajah Griffiths 鈥�19, formed a two-woman committee. They held stake-outs at cap and gown fittings, texted friends, hit up student gatherings, and posted in many of the chat rooms and other social media channels where they knew they could reach their fellow seniors.

They wanted to leave a gift for posterity from the Class of 2019 and there was precious little time before their peers would go on to the next stage of their lives. Edwards and Griffiths had already thrown around some ideas with administrators from the 可乐视频 Foundation and the Office of Student Affairs and settled on soliciting donations for a scholarship that would help students who are short a small amount of money to graduate or register for class.

鈥淲e thought, there isn鈥檛 enough out there for students in those kinds of circumstances,鈥� says Edwards, who majored in finance and decided to join the gift committee because she had taken a break from club activities so she could focus on graduating. Still, she wanted to be involved. 鈥淭here are scholarships for students with good grades and other things, but we thought this could go to those who need help with that outstanding balance from last semester, or even just to pay for a cap and gown.鈥�

It鈥檚 believed to be the first time at 可乐视频 that a graduating class has left a gift and when it was all said and done, they raised just over $1,000, mostly in the form of small-dollar donations. In the process, they inspired the next class of graduating seniors to join a tradition that is common at many colleges and universities across the country and helps to begin the process of engaging the newest crop of alumni

Seniors Xavier Alvarez, Miniola Gustin, and LaClaire Robinson have taken up the charge鈥攖his year with the benefit of more time to raise money and an assist from last year鈥檚 committee. After getting feedback from their classmates in an online survey, this year鈥檚 gift committee plans to also raise money for a scholarship, this one just for rising seniors. The will again pay off small balances that may prevent a student from graduating.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud to see that the graduating class of 2020 is continuing in the footsteps of the class of 2019 in leaving its legacy on the campus,鈥� says Ronald Jackson, the vice president for student affairs. 鈥淭his tradition, common among many colleges and universities, leaves an indelible mark on the institution that lasts well past commencement,鈥� he adds.

This year鈥檚 goal is $5,000, and the committee is hoping to get at least 2,500 donors. The graduating class has nearly 4,000 students, and when this year鈥檚 committee surveyed the seniors, they said that 60 percent of respondents said they were very likely to contribute to the gift, and 40 percent said they would give $10 or more.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting that at 可乐视频 we have a chance to have a say in the impact and the legacy this class leaves behind,鈥� says Robinson, a student in the who is double majoring in global public health and Asian studies and also heading this year鈥檚 class gift committee. 鈥淔or my part, this campus had done a lot for me. This is a great opportunity to give back.鈥�

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 可乐视频, along with all other City University of New York (CUNY) institutions, is preparing for #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving. This global campaign takes place on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, and was created to counterbalance the consumerism of “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” with a call for philanthropy and community outreach.

Funds raised from Giving Tuesday will go to support the Annual Fund, a vital 可乐视频 Foundation program that is graciously sustained by thousands of donations averaging about $50. Support from the Annual Fund helps the college continue to create a complete and fulfilling college experience by providing the resources needed to immediately respond to the urgent and evolving needs of the students, faculty, and campus.

To learn more about the various donor options available or about the impact that giving has on our students, please visit the 可乐视频 Foundation website.

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