SBU News
SBU News > Newsroom > Press Release > General > From Students to Alumni: Nearly 1,500 Degrees Conferred at 2015 Winter Commencement

From Students to Alumni: Nearly 1,500 Degrees Conferred at 2015 Winter Commencement

Commencement 517 approved 2

From Students to Alumni: Nearly 1,500 Degrees Conferred at 2015 Winter Commencement

placeholder
 

STONY BROOK, N.Y., December 18, 2015 – Stony Brook University held its 18th annual December commencement ceremony in the Island Federal Credit Union Arena, where 1,495 students* had their degrees conferred. Stony Brook’s newest undergraduate, graduate and doctoral alumni range in age from 19 to 73, join more than 150,000 fellow Seawolves who are living and working around the globe.  

President’s Remarks
During his commencement address, President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., highlighted the key elements to the Stony Brook experience, congratulated the very accomplished graduating class, talked about the increasing value of the Stony Brook degree and celebrated Stony Brook’s diverse landscape. Highlights include:

  • “Your investment in your Stony Brook degree will be one of the best investments you (and your family) ever made. In fact, in the new Federal scorecard, Stony Brook graduates rank 11th among AAU public universities in the average wages they are earning 10 years after graduation.”
  • “Your decision to attend and receive a degree from Stony Brook University means you are on a path towards a better life.  And I pledge that we will work to improve your prospects even more by increasing the value of your degree as we move towards our goal of being one of the 25 best public universities in the world.”  
  • “Stony Brook is not a University where everyone looks the same, has the same ethnic background, or comes from the same socioeconomic background. This extraordinary diversity creates a unique environment and, in my opinion, each of you have a very powerful leg up on graduates from other Universities as you enter this new global economy.”

Student Voice
Women and Gender Studies major, Tayisha Saint Vil, selected to address the new graduates by a committee of staff and faculty from a pool of submitted speeches, shared her thoughts about her years as a Seawolf and offered advice to her fellow graduates:

“I encourage you all to defy the laws of nature, to question everything, in moments of adversity explore all of your options, think outside of the box, apply for that position and when people say you can’t, say you will. “

Next month Saint Vil will begin classes toward the pursuit of a Master in Public Health at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine.

Graduation 2015 Fast Facts

A total of 1,495 degrees conferred as follows:  

  • 777 Bachelor Degrees
  • 556 Doctoral Degrees
  • 123 Master Degrees
  • 39 Certificates

For more information about Stony Brook University commencement visit, http://bit.ly/1mqbSLb. For information about Stony Brook Alumni visit, http://bit.ly/1IbPoaM

*Numbers as of 12/17/2015 and subject to change

###

About Stony Brook University
Part of the State University of New York system, Stony Brook University encompasses 200 buildings on 1,450 acres. Since welcoming its first incoming class in 1957, the University has grown tremendously, now with more than 25,000 students and 2,500 faculty. Its membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) places Stony Brook among the top 62 research institutions in North America. U.S. News & World Report ranks Stony Brook among the top 100 universities in the nation and top 40 public universities, and Kiplinger names it one of the 35 best values in public colleges. One of four University Center campuses in the SUNY system, Stony Brook co-manages Brookhaven National Laboratory, putting it in an elite group of universities that run federal research and development laboratories. A global ranking by U.S. News & World Report places Stony Brook in the top 1 percent of institutions worldwide. It is one of only 10 universities nationwide recognized by the National Science Foundation for combining research with undergraduate education. As the largest single-site employer on Long Island, Stony Brook is a driving force of the regional economy, with an annual economic impact of $4.65 billion, generating nearly 60,000 jobs, and accounts for nearly 4 percent of all economic activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and roughly 7.5 percent of total jobs in Suffolk County. 

Reporter Contact: Alida Almonte 

631-632-6310;  Twitter @sbunewsdesk

Related Posts

Subscribe to News

Get the latest word on Stony Brook news, discoveries and people.

Archives

Get the latest word on Stony Brook news,
discoveries and people.