SPD Commencement Convocation
May 14 at 5:30 PM | Staller Center for the Arts
Live streaming below starting at 5:30 pm.
Order of Exercises
PRELUDE AND PROCESSIONAL
ORDER OF MARCH
MARSHAL
Craig Markson, Educational Leadership Program Director
THE FACULTY
MASTER’S CANDIDATES
POST-MASTER'S ADVANCED GRADUATE CERTIFICATE CANDIDATES
THE PLATFORM PARTY
INTRODUCTION
Peter C. Diplock
Vice Provost for Continuing, Executive, and Professional Education
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Nicole Karrs, Doctor of Music Arts '24
STUDENT SPEAKER
Kapudorra Peacock
Master of Science in Human Resource Management ‘24
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Howard Schneider
Executive Director, Center for News Literacy, Stony Brook University School of Journalism
PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES
Announced by Marianna Savoca
Higher Education Administration
Liberal Studies
Human Resource Management
Teaching
Educational Leadership and School District Business Leader
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Peter C. Diplock
RECESSIONAL
Candidates for Degrees and Certificates
SPEAKERS
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Howard Schneider
Howard Schneider is the founding dean of the School of Journalism at Stony Brook University, spearheading the team that developed the proposal for SUNY’s first School of Journalism. For more than 35 years. Schneider was a reporter and editor at Newsday. For nearly 18 of those years, he was managing editor and then editor.
Student speaker
Kapudorra Peacock
Kapudorra Peacock is from the Bronx borough of New York City. She began her academic
path at Empire State College, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Driven by a desire to extend her perspectives and deepen her grasp of organizational
dynamics, Kapudorra enrolled in Stony Brook University's Master of Science in Human
Resource Management program.
Kapudorra has worked as the human resources manager for the past three years and is ready to advance her career as a HR leader. With a depth of expertise and experience, she is dedicated to driving organizational success and creating a workplace environment in which all employees may grow and achieve.
HONOREES
STUDENT AWARDS
Deborah Hecht Award
Kara Melley, EDL '24
Named after SPD’s first lead Project Seminar instructor, this award is given to the student whose paper was judged by faculty to be the best of the year. Kara Melley wrote "Grading for Equity: Competency-Based Grading and Social-Emotional Well-Being" while a student in Dr. Craig Markson's Project Seminar class.
World LanguageS Teacher
Preparation Award
Pamela Davila, BA/MAT Spanish '24
Sophia Mastrangelo, BA/MAT TESOL +
Spanish '24
Michelle Vilkas, BA/MAT Spanish '24
This award is given to graduating students in teacher preparation programs who are poised to inspire their students to learn world languages.
FACULTY AWARDS
SUNY ONLINE TEACHING AMBASSADORS
Kenneth Forman, PhD
Educational Leadership
Thomas McDonald, JD, MEd
Higher Education Administration
The State University of New York has recognized Kenneth Forman and Thomas J. McDonald for online teaching excellence. Online Teaching Ambassadors are selected for being exemplary online educators, who are both enthusiastic and effective in online teaching, and are honored for their positive contributions to the field of online teaching in SUNY.