Around the SUNY Oswego campus

In a joyous scene May 13 at the college's 156th Commencement, Oscar Hernandez Vasquez displays his diploma to family members in the audience, as does Stacy Palacios at right. Commencement -- for about 1,700 eligible recipients of undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees and certificates -- drew about 9,000 family and friends in all to three ceremonies in Marano Campus Center convention hall: 9 a.m. for graduates of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 1 p.m. for the School of Business and 4 p.m. for the School of Education and the School of Communication, Media and the Arts.

Sasha Huff, a newly minted alumna in English with a human development minor, presents the Class of 2017 Alumni Banner to college President Deborah F. Stanley during Commencement May 13 for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Soon-to-be graduates Kenny Roffo (center) in physics and computer science and Nina House in biology with a sustainability studies minor greet faculty members during the Commencement procession for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Roffo is among many graduates securing impressive jobs in their fields, as he will start at NASA's Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Dr. Vincent Intondi, a 2003 SUNY Oswego master's graduate who is now associate professor of history and director of the Institute for Race, Justice and Community Engagement at Montgomery College in Takoma Park, Maryland, addresses graduates at the College of Liberal Arts ceremony. (View video)

Grammy-winning composer Richard Einhorn (second from left), who has written for opera, orchestra, chamber, film, dance and multimedia, pauses for a photo with (from left) Julie Pretzat, dean of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts; college President Deborah F. Stanley; and Walter Roettger, acting provost and vice president of academic affairs. Einhorn addressed graduates of the School of Education and the School of Communication, Media and the Arts. (View video)

New graduate Emily Nassir (center rear), who as president of the Student Association was a member of the platform party at Commencement, poses with members of her family "team" in the robing room prior to the 4 p.m. ceremony. Nassir is a new alumna in communication and social interaction, with a minor in psychology.

Members of the faculty await the procession into Marano Campus Center convocation hall for the 9 a.m. ceremony honoring graduates of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences …   

… as the candidates for graduation prepare in the adjacent Marano Campus Center food and activity court for their big moment.

Members of the School of Business faculty -- many in top hats distributed for the occasion by professor Charles Spector -- stand during the procession at the 1 p.m. Commencement ceremony.

College President Deborah F. Stanley offers a charge to the assembled graduates May 13 during the Commencement ceremony for graduates of the School of Business.

Thomas W. Schneider, president and CEO of Pathfinder Bank, delivers the Commencement speech to graduates of the School of Business, where Schneider teaches as an adjunct member of the faculty and serves on the school's Advisory Board. (View video)

Marcus McFee-Walters, a new alumnus with a bachelor of science degree in finance, presents the Class of 2017 Alumni Banner to college President Deborah F. Stanley at the School of Business ceremony.

Following the Commencement ceremony for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, "Team Kaba" gathers around new graduate Cire Kaba (wearing mortarboard) to celebrate her degree in biology, with a health science minor.

In a scene repeated frequently outside Marano Campus Center, new SUNY Oswego graduates throw their caps in celebration.

Charlene Assam, new recipient of a master of business administration degree and a bachelor's degree in accounting, meets her family for joyful photos following Commencement for the School of Business. Joining other graduates moving into the world of work, Assam will start as a core assurance associate at PwC, also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers.

OzFest concert headliners DNCE -- fronted by (from left) JinJoo Lee, Joe Jonas and Cole Whittle -- rock such favorites as "Cake by the Ocean" for an appreciative audience. The concert organized by the Student Association Programming Board also featured rapper A-Boogie. (Photo by Omar Van Reenen)

Students at OzFest 2017 enjoy a variety of legacy arcade games arrayed May 5 outside the Compass in Marano Campus Center away from a rainy day. Stuff-a-buddy, a photo booth, air brush tattoos, fresh lemonade, snacks and much more entertained the many students celebrating the final day of classes for the spring semester.

Justin Dobrow, who the next day graduated with a degree in broadcasting and mass communication, welcomes his fellow members of the Class of 2017 to Torchlight. Torchlight celebrates the symbolic passing of the Torch of Learning from alumni to the graduating seniors. The Oswego Alumni Association sponsors the event, with support from The Fund for Oswego and Auxiliary Services. General manager of student-run WTOP-TV, Dobrow is best known at SUNY Oswego for his organizational work for Rokerthon 3, acknowledged by famed alumnus Al Roker on national television during SUNY Oswego's appearance on "Today" for the Guinness World Records challenge. 

Torchlight speaker and master of ceremonies Aunrée J. Houston, Class of  2000 -- an HBO executive, empowerment coach, entrepreneur, creative force across multiple disciplines and a philanthropist for the arts -- makes his remarks as senior torchbearer Rachel Edic (left) and college President Deborah F. Stanley listen May 12 during Torchlight.

Torchbearer Rachel Edic (left), who the next day celebrated her bachelor's degree in technology education at Commencement, passes the Torch of Learning among those attending the college's storied Torchlight ceremony, including Mary Toale (right), interim dean of graduate studies, and Pamela Michel, dean of the School of Education.

Candlelight and the glow of smiles illuminate Torchlight for the Class of 2017 on Commencement eve, May 12, under a tent adjacent to Marano Campus Center. 

Named the 2017 Outstanding Senior, Lauren Cutler (left), who now has a bachelor's degree in meteorology, accepts a plaque May 12 featuring an iconic sunset over Lake Ontario from Laura Pavlus Kelly, a 2009 graduate and director of alumni relations, during Torchlight.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher  (left) and Howard Gordon (right), executive assistant to SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley, congratulate Alok Kumar of the physics department after conferring on him the Medal of Distinction and congratulating him on achieving the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor, awarded to instructional faculty for outstanding teaching competence and consistent mastery at the graduate, undergraduate or professional levels.

SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley (left) speaks with students Lindsey Biedekapp (center) and Gloria Kimmich, both working toward a graduate certificate in teaching English to students of other languages, during a reception May 4 at the college's branch campus, SUNY Oswego in Syracuse, located at the Metro Center on Syracuse's Clinton Square. The facility provides expanded regional access to SUNY Oswego's nationally ranked undergraduate and graduate degree programs to people residing or working in the greater Syracuse area. Besides post-graduate opportunities, the college offers undergraduate completion degrees in business administration, public justice and human development at the campus.

Eight students at SUNY Oswego in Syracuse pose with college President Deborah F. Stanley (center) during a reception May 4 at the college's branch campus. They are (from left) Chun-Wen Liao, Leeann Azzano, Courtney Schlesinger, Taryn Surprenant, Hanna Brovka, Sunny Li, Angie Delgado and Brian Messmer. Stanley later attended the ceremonial launch of WRVO-FM's satellite studio in the Metro Center, where she and alumni greeted Grant Reeher, host of WRVO's "Campbell Conversations," and Lorraine Rapp and Linda Lowen, hosts of "Take Care," WRVO's health and wellness show, among the station's other on-air and behind-the-scenes talent. 

At a Science Today lecture May 1 in Room 467 of Mahar Hall, political science faculty member Lisa Glidden (right), who has taken students on study-travel trips to Cuba many times, introduces Mario Alberto Arrastia Avila, a Cuban energy specialist who authored five books and dozens of articles about energy issues, and who spoke on "Transforming Cuba's Energy Mix." Avila's appearance was sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Oswego Chapter of Sigma Xi, the political science department, the college's Institute for Global Engagement and Science Today.

More than 1,800 SUNY Oswego students gave up their dining center meals April 20, raising $5,695.96 to benefit the Rescue Mission, ensuring that homeless people will receive more than 2,500 meals through the statewide charitable alliance. From left are Ann Lloyd, Lakeside Dining Center cashier; Student Association Miss-A-Meal coordinator Alexander Melas, a freshman dual major in business administration and finance; Carolyn Hendrickson, Rescue Mission chief development officer; and Ruth Stevens, director of residential dining for SUNY Oswego's Auxiliary Services. Since at least the early 1960s, Oswego students have carried the tradition forward, skipping a meal each semester and donating what they would have spent to one or more charitable organizations.

Ben Griffin earns his third-straight SUNY Athletic Conference 800-meter title, before running a career-best 1:51.23 at the Mideast Invitational -- hosted by Widener University -- on May 18. The Sterling resident clinched a place at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with his qualifying time. Action will begin Thursday from the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Griffin recently was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III 2017 Outdoor Track & Field Atlantic All-Region Team.

The Oswego State baseball team makes history last weekend, moving on to the eight-team, double-elimination Division III World Series, featuring a 1:15 game against Roanoke on Friday at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin. To clinch the first-ever honor, the Lakers defeated the University of Southern Maine, 9-4, in the NCAA New York Regional title game on Sunday afternoon at Onondaga Community College. Oswego, ranked No. 7 nationally and top-seeded in the regional, went 4-1 over the weekend, posting a ninth-inning comeback in an 11-10 walk-off win against Ithaca; nipping Tufts, 1-0; and taking two of three games from Southern Maine. 

Lakers pitcher Robert Donnelly (center) and outfielder Mike Dellicarri (second from left) were named to the All-Tournament team last weekend, following Oswego's championship in the NCAA Division III New York Regional Tournament. Power-hitting infielder Eric Hamilton (left) earned Most Valuable Player honors. Hamilton went 5-for-5 during the title contest with a pair of doubles and two RBI. His first double of the day -- and 19th of the season -- set a new Oswego baseball single-season program record.