More than 7,600 degrees will be conferred at Stony Brook University’s 62nd annual commencement ceremony on Friday, May 20, at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. The ceremony begins at 11 am.
The university will confer a record number of bachelor’s degrees — 4,670 — among the 7,610 degrees presented overall, breaking the record of 4,645, set just last year. There will also be 2,095 master’s degrees, 585 doctoral and professional degrees and 260 certificates conferred at the ceremony.
The commencement celebrations will also include 43 individual departmental convocation ceremonies at various locations across campus, from Wednesday, May 18 through Friday, May 20.
View the full convocation schedule, day of event information and frequently asked questions at the Commencement website.
Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis will address the graduates in her second in-person commencement ceremony at LaValle Stadium, and the first with the full graduating class together in the same ceremony. Christopher Jean ’22, vice president of student life for Undergraduate Student Government, will present the Class Legacy Gift from the Class of 2022.
Biology major Ahmad Syed will address his fellow graduates as the student speaker. Syed is the second person in his family to be the student speaker at Stony Brook’s commencement, as his brother, Ali, delivered that address eight years ago.
A native of Port Jefferson, NY, Syed served on the Dean’s Student Advisory Council in the College of Arts and Sciences, and was awarded the Louise Guarneri Scholarship. During his undergraduate studies, he pursued his passion for science as a research assistant in the Department of Chemistry, and also volunteered many hours at Stony Brook University Hospital, learning about patient care.
Syed plans to pursue a degree in medical sciences, with specific interest in the field of ophthalmology, with an eye on serving as a physician and working in underserved areas.
Film Director Todd Haynes, one of the top independent filmmakers in the world, will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree and will also address the graduates. Haynes, who has had a long and award-winning professional partnership with producer and Stony Brook MFA in Film Artistic Director Christine Vachon, is a groundbreaking independent filmmaker whose award-winning career spans four decades and seven feature films.
Considered American cinema’s most prominent gay directorial voice, Haynes is receiving the degree for all he has done for the arts, the LGBTQ community and Stony Brook University students. His first feature film, Poison, released in 1991, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2015, Carol, starring Cate Blanchett, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
Ceremony attendees are encouraged to text celebratory photos to (864) 734-4275; images will be featured during the
ceremony at the stadium (message and data rates may apply). Photos can also be shared on Instagram and Twitter using #SBUGrad.
Catch the main commencement ceremony livestream at stonybrook.edu/live.
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