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CONGRATS TO THE CLASS OF 2022
CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2022
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Siena College’s Class of 2022 celebrated their accomplishments with two separate ceremonies, capping off a weekend of celebratory activities. Charles F. Seifert, Ph.D., who is finishing his term as dean of the School of Business, was the featured speaker at the May 14 graduate ceremony in the UHY Center on campus. Seventy-six master’s degrees in accounting and business administration were awarded.
CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2022
The following day, the College awarded 748 bachelor’s degrees at MVP Arena in Albany. The College conferred an honorary doctorate of humane letters on Br. Michael A. Perry, O.F.M., (bottom right) former minister general of the Order of Friars Minor and the 120th successor of St. Francis of Assisi. Br. Michael also delivered the Commencement address: “Remember always to love what you do, love why you are doing it, love whom you are doing it for and love who you are becoming while doing it.”
GRADUATE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
The Class of 2022 graduates of Siena’s master of science in accounting, master of business administration, and advanced certificate programs celebrated their achievements in a Commencement ceremony in the Siena UHY Center on May 14. HEOP CLASS OF 2022
Siena is proud to have one of the best Higher Education Opportunity Programs in the state of New York. Our HEOP students graduate at a rate higher than both state and national averages.
The Baldwin Nursing Program Pinning and Awards Ceremony honored graduates with their nursing pin. The winners of the Siena Future Nurse Leader Award, Engaged Heart Award and the Servant Leadership Award were also recognized.
ACADEMIC AWARDS CEREMONY
This awards ceremony recognized the outstanding scholastic accomplishments and other special achievements of members of the Class of 2022.
BACCALAUREATE LITURGY
The Siena friars offer a final blessing to the graduates, a time of prayer, reflection and gathering to celebrate the Class of 2022. Fr. Larry Anderson, OFM, Siena’s chaplain, presided over the Mass in the Siena UHY Center.
MOHAWK ARMY ROTC’S 2022 COMMISSIONING CLASS
The Mohawk Battalion Army ROTC commissioning ceremony represents a culmination of four years of leadership training and academic excellence.
ALANA and LAVENDER
The Damietta Cross-Cultural Center hosts a pre-commencement commemoration to celebrate the accomplishments of graduating students of LGBTQ+ and ALANA identities (African-American/Black, Latina/o, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indigenous/Native American and other students of color) as well as allies.
READ ALL ABOUT IT: IN THE NEWS
Dmitry Burshteyn, Ph.D Quinn Murphy ‘23 Baloo
Teaching U.S. history in the classroom has become politicized, often sparking contentious debates at school board meetings across the country. Ideas of critical race theory, which are sometimes misunderstood, seem to rest at the fault lines of these arguments. In his essay “Truths of U.S. history are teachable and possible,” published March 13 in the Albany Times Union, President Chris Gibson ’86, Ph.D. dissects the debate and offers a perspective from his own classroom. Dmitry Burshteyn, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, was born and raised in Ukraine, and shared his perspective on the invasion and alleged war crimes with local NPR affiliate WAMC, as well as Spectrum News and News10 ABC. “Day and night, I’m completely immersed in this,” he said. “The Ukrainian people are resilient. They want to be a part of Western political culture, and they aspire to the same values of liberty, freedom, and democracy that are important to Americans.” The podcast “Message Traffic,” produced by the New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs, interviewed Vera Eccarius- Kelly, Ph.D., professor of political science, about the Ukrainian refugee crisis. “The conception that refugees are always an economic burden is actually incorrect. We are desperate for people to come to our areas and work in industry in various sectors. So, they have really helped us.”
Quinn Murphy ‘23 applied for a job that he was hoping to do concurrently with his studies: mayor of Kinderhook, N.Y. The political science major was on the ballot, but finished second in the voting. News10 ABC covered the election and Murphy’s near miss. “I’m here for the people of Kinderhook above all. Win or lose, I’ll always be here for Kinderhook. I’ve got big aspirations for sure.”
Mo Hannah, Ph.D., professor of psychology, is the founder of the annual Battered Mothers Custody Conference, which provides guidance and support for mothers facing custody battles in the family court system. The event was promoted by Newschannel 13, which interviewed Hannah on the topic: “I hear so much from people who come to the conference that the greatest thing they derive from it is a sense of connection with others and the validation of their experience.”
Siena’s Title IX office joined forces with St. Peter’s Health Partners and dozens of students to pack 500 care bags for survivors of sexual assault. The sheer volume of bags underscores an alarming uptick in sexual assault cases, as noted in the News10 ABC story. The bags were packed with personal essentials and messages of encouragement from Siena Saints – a hopeful reminder that there are people in the community who care for them.
Baloo, Siena’s beloved St. Bernard mascot, earned plenty of TV time during the MAAC basketball tournament in Atlantic City, and his star continues to rise. He was featured in a recent episode of DogCenter on AKC.TV. The lead story in an all sports-themed episode explored Baloo’s impact on the Siena campus and the fear he helped a family member overcome.
