SUNY Chancellor to speak at GCC’s 50th commencement
Richard C. Call Arena to host event for first time on May 20
Press Release, GCC
Dr. Kristina M. Johnson
BATAVIA – Officials at Genesee Community College are delighted to announce the College’s 50th graduating class will hear from the new State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor, Dr. Kristina M. Johnson, as the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony on May 20 at 1 p.m.
Dr. Johnson is the fourth SUNY Chancellor to grace GCC’s commencement stage with Dr. Nancy L. Zimpher appearing in 2010, John R. Ryan in 2007 and Robert King in 2003.
GCC’s first-ever graduating class received their diplomas in 1969 inside the auditorium of the New York State School for Blind. Through the years, GCC has held commencement ceremonies in several other locations to accommodate the growing number of graduates. Batavia High School, the William W. Stuart Forum in the Batavia Campus and finally the Anthony T. Zambito Gymnasium have all hosted GCC’s commencement programs. This year, the Class of 2018 is GCC’s 50th class of graduates. They will celebrate their success in the new and permanent venue, the Richard C. Call Arena.
“This year’s commencement ceremony is going to be a special day for so many reasons,” said Dr. James M. Sunser, president of GCC. “First and foremost, graduation is a sacred event celebrating the personal accomplishments of hundreds of students-each with his or her individual story and journey. It is, without question, the best day of the year for the whole College community. Secondly, we are honored to welcome Chancellor Johnson to our campus and look forward to hearing her distinguished remarks. Finally, this event brings our 50th anniversary celebration to a grand crescendo, and what better place than in our new Call Arena.”
Provided photo: GCC’s first graduating class received their diplomas in 1969 inside the auditorium of the New York State School for Blind.
SUNY Chancellor, Dr. Kristina M. Johnson, joined The State University of New York as its 13th Chancellor just six months ago in September 2017. With 64 college and university campuses located across New York State, SUNY is the nation’s largest comprehensive system of public higher education. It serves more than 1.3 million students annually, employs more than 90,000 faculty and staff, and connects more than three million alumni around the world.
Prior to joining SUNY, Dr. Johnson was co-founder and CEO of Cube Hydro Partners, LLC, and had served as undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Johnson served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Johns Hopkins University from 2007 to 2009 with direct oversight of the academic operations and budget of nine schools that included leading interdisciplinary programs, academic centers and institutes.
As Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University from 1999 to 2007, Dr. Johnson created intensive student/faculty research partnerships and led a strategic planning process as part of Duke’s “Building on Excellence” university plan.
Dr. Johnson was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2015) and the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame (2003), and holds 118 U.S. and international patents. She has published 149 referenced papers and proceedings and has received honorary degrees from the University of Alabama at Huntsville, Tufts University, McGill University, Trinity College, Dublin and the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Additional commencement information can be found by clicking here. For families interested in using GCC’s Child Care Center for children 5 years old and younger, the reservation deadline is May 4.
