Around the SUNY Oswego campus

Graduates show their enthusiasm, cheered on by family members and friends in the audience at the December Commencement held Dec. 16. Each graduate's name was announced as they walked across the platform and shook hands with President Peter O. Nwosu.

University President Peter O. Nwosu welcomes the graduates and families at the beginning of the December Commencement ceremony on Dec. 16.

One of the high points at Commencement is the presentation of the alumni banner officially welcoming all of the new graduates into the Oswego Alumni Association. President Peter O. Nwosu stands with Otis Gbala, who earned a master’s in biomedical and health informatics, and Kaleigh Janes, who earned a bachelor’s in electrical and computer engineering, while they display the banner on the platform.  

SUNY Oswego's December 2023 Commencement ceremony honored hundreds of undergraduates and graduate students in front of family, friends and supporters in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall in Marano Campus Center. Honors graduates – those graduating summa cum laude with grade-point averages of 3.8 or higher – line the front of the stage as graduates and members of the platform party enter.

The State University of New York honorary doctorate degree was bestowed upon Peter L. Bocko (center), a 1975 graduate and longtime leader with Corning Incorporated. Presenting at the commencement ceremony platform are President Peter Nwosu (left) and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Scott Furlong.

Peter L. Bocko (center), a 1975 graduate and longtime leader with Corning Incorporated, speaks after receiving a State University of New York honorary doctorate degree at Commencement. Through a 41-year career at Corning Incorporated and as an adjunct professor at Cornell University, Bocko is recognized as one of the foremost high-technology glass experts and educators.

Virginia (Ginny) Donohue, a 1988 Oswego graduate and founder of On Point for College, received a State University of New York honorary doctorate degree at Commencement. Presenting at the commencement ceremony platform is College President Peter Nwosu (left) and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Scott Furlong.

Virginia (Ginny) Donohue, a 1988 Oswego graduate and founder of On Point for College, served as a Commencement speaker, offering impassioned words of encouragement to the graduates after receiving a State University of New York honorary doctorate degree on the Commencement platform. Donohue left a corporate career and founded On Point for College in April 1999 after eight years of helping students from a local homeless shelter to enroll in college. Prior to her retirement, she helped thousands of students earn their degrees through the program.

Graduates proudly display their diploma covers at the December Commencement.

College Council member Tara FitzGibbons, a 1994 alumna of the university, greets the graduates during the Dec. 16 Commencement ceremony.

Austin Davis, Student Association President and a member of the Class of 2025, provides the student address to the graduates.

Retiring faculty and professional staff are honored at each Commencement. Pictured are Michael Pisa, Campus Technology Services; David Bozak, professor in computer science and psychology; and Said Atri, professor of economics.

Families, friends and alumni gather outside the Marano Campus Center after the Dec. 16 Commencement ceremony on a relatively warm and sunny day. Pictured, President Peter O. Nwosu greets Yahya Ndiaye, a 2022 graduate in Oswego's electrical and computer engineering program, and other visiting alumni and supporters.

Dahlia Nguyen, who earned a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design, meets with her family after the Dec. 16 graduation ceremony.

Britney Twum-Barim, a School of Education graduate, celebrates with supporters after the December Commencement ceremony held in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall in Marano Campus Center.

A student from the School of Education shows off their decorated grad cap before the December Commencement ceremony on Dec. 16.

Students gather in the Marano Campus Center food and activity court before walking the stage at the December Commencement.

Students participating in the December Commencement gather for photos and conversation before lining up by school in the Marano Campus Center food and activity court.

The Commencement Eve Reception held on Dec. 15 in the Sheldon Hall ballroom celebrated the December Class of 2023 and welcomed the newest members of the Oswego Alumni Association. Calista Sassalos (third from left), one of the hundreds of graduates receiving diplomas at Commencement the next day, takes a photo with her family.

Graduate Bryan Morano takes photos with his dad Kevin at the Commencement Eve Reception held Dec. 15 in Sheldon Hall ballroom.

Graduate Autumn Fluty poses for a group photo with Fluty's father, mother and grandmother while attending the Commencement Eve Reception held Dec. 15 in Sheldon Hall ballroom. The event featured a celebratory toast led by Laura Pavlus Kelly ’09, executive director of the Oswego Alumni Association, to honor the December Class of 2023 where the graduates also received a commemorative Oswego alumni champagne flute.

The Fall 2023 Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition showcased work created by students earning the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Continuing the high standard of Oswego art and design graduates, each student presents a selection of work as part of their degree requirement. Designed and installed by the students themselves, a variety of artistic media as well as conceptual approaches are represented in the show. Pictured, graduating senior Hoang Pham, an international student from Vietnam, presents his series of illustrated character designs.

The annual Baskets of Caring fundraiser held Nov. 14 and 15 by the State Employees Federated Appeal committee raised nearly $4,000 for the United Way of Greater Oswego County. The event featured 16 themed baskets put together by members of the campus community. Busra Altay (pictured), a graduate student in the master of business administration program, casts votes toward baskets for chances to win.

A "Celebration of Community in Honor of the Life, Work and Legacy of Dr. Alfred Frederick" on Dec. 1 celebrated the late esteemed educator with a cultural extravaganza of community in the Marano Campus Center auditorium. A SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Frederick worked in and inspired the Curriculum and Instruction Department for 38 years, where he emerged as a pioneer in culturally responsive pedagogy. He dedicated his life and work to bringing diverse peoples together so that they could better understand each other. The celebration featured music, African drumming and dancing, poetry, personal reflections of Frederick and (pictured) a performance by the Caribbean Student Association Dance Team. Frederick, who passed away this summer, was a six-time Fulbright scholar who came to SUNY Oswego in 1985. He earned honors within the Oswego community and in Syracuse, as well as in Benin and Brazil for his tremendous impact in those nations.

President Peter O. Nwosu recently met with Robert Corradino, who will begin his term as mayor of the City of Oswego on Jan. 1. Shown from left are Jamal Coleman, director of operations in the Office of the President; Kevin Caraccioli, city attorney for the City of Oswego; Corradino; Nwosu; and Kristi Eck, assistant vice president of workforce innovation and external relations.

Rheya Zemlak (pictured), a sophomore on the Laker women's ice hockey team, is one of the many Oswego students to provide some fun open skating for the community Dec. 10 during the annual Holiday Skate with the Lakers in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Center. The popular community event with SUNY Oswego men's and women's hockey teams includes a visit from Santa Claus and chances to win a Laker hockey jersey. The event, co-sponsored by Oswego's State Employees Federated Appeal Committee and Intercollegiate Athletics, raised around $900 in support of the United Way of Greater Oswego County.

University Police and Parking Office staff donated over $2,000 in toys this December in support of the State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) committee-sponsored drive. Pictured with some of the toys and numerous gifts on final pick-up day are several of the dedicated officers and staff. In all, the SEFA Toy Drive collected more than $11,000 in gifts to support the Oswego County Children’s Fund which makes spirits brights for hundreds of local families.

The Campus Community Breakfast, held Dec. 13 and hosted by President Peter O. Nwosu, provided faculty and staff the opportunity to gather and commemorate the end of a successful fall semester and to look forward to a well-deserved winter break. Pictured, President Nwosu shakes hands with David Bozak, a psychology department faculty member, while greeting attendees in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall in Marano Campus Center.

The State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) annually hosts Bake Off fundraisers to support the United Way of Greater Oswego County. The chefs who created the most popular desserts by public votes during this fall's event gather for a photo on Nov. 27 while picking up prizes from SEFA. From left are: Judith Wyman Collette, Theatre; Susan Drobar, Mathematics; Christine Dallas, Graduate Studies; Kristin Gublo, Chemistry; and Royal Rogers, Environmental Health and Safety.