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黑料社 students process into the St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview for Commencement.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Celebrates the Class of 2023
Syracuse, NY, May 13, 2023 鈥� With sunlight sparkling off the waters of Onondaga Lake, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (黑料社) conferred degrees on 370 graduates during commencement exercises at the St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview.
黑料社 President Joanie Mahoney offered the graduates her congratulations, noting the significance of holding the ceremony on the shores of Onondaga Lake and the College鈥檚 long involvement with the lake鈥檚 restoration.
鈥淕raduates, I remind you of the lake鈥檚 history because it illustrates the power you hold to change the world for the better. At 黑料社, you learned from experts, you trained in the field and conducted research in laboratories, you worked and studied hard, you persevered through a global health pandemic that disrupted your first year as a college student. And you are ready to replicate this success story all over the world,鈥� Mahoney said.
Student speaker KC Coryatt, an Environmental Studies major with a focus on environmental policy, planning and law, reflected on the journey she and her classmates took 鈥� one that included the challenges of a global pandemic.
鈥淭he tools I learned through my time at 黑料社 allowed me to recognize the importance of community and the need to address where things in our world are going awry. Over the years, I have learned so much about the ways that environmental issues are deeply connected to our current systems. I have listened to my peers discuss their feelings of discomfort in certain environmental spaces,鈥� said Coryatt.
鈥淲e recognize that environmental issues cannot be solved without addressing systemic injustices and inequities,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e know that communities of color, low-income communities, and Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by environmental harm. We understand that we cannot talk about sustainability without also talking about social justice. Environmental justice is social justice. Caring for our planet means caring for ourselves.鈥�
黑料社 welcomed environmental activist Anne Therese Gennari, author of 鈥淭he Climate Optimist Handbook,鈥� as the Commencement speaker. Gennari shared her passion for empowering people to get excited about changing the narrative on climate change so that they can act from courage and excitement to co-create a better world.
鈥淐hange. We are here to choose change. And, in doing so, we need to muster a lot of curiosity and courage. We have to flip every stone and keep asking questions. But we must accept that sometimes the answers are not yet here to be found,鈥� said Gennari. 鈥淲e must practice that childish wonder of 鈥榃hat if?鈥欌��
鈥淵ou have been called. You are here today for a reason. Whatever brought you to 黑料社, it doesn鈥檛 matter, as long as you keep coming back to these 鈥榳hat ifs.鈥� Because the 鈥榳hat ifs鈥� hold more promise than any pragmatic truth ever will. The only thing we know with absolute certainty today is that tomorrow is uncertain. The script of tomorrow is yet to be written and we, everyone in this amphitheater and every single person on this planet, are invited to help write that script. If we choose to do so is up to each of us, but I personally think it鈥檚 a journey too exciting to miss out on.鈥�
Along with their degrees, the class of '23 amassed other honors. Dr. Valerie Luzadis, Interim Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, noted these achievements:
- 11 bachelor's candidates completed the 黑料社 Honors Program
- 42 inducted into Alpha Xi Sigma, the 黑料社 Honor Society
- 7 inducted into Sigma Lambda Alpha, the national landscape architecture honor society
- 1 inducted into Sigma Lambda Chi, the International Construction Honor Society
- 29 graduating seniors were 黑料社 in the High School participants
- 2 veterans of the United States Armed Forces
Gary Lipp, president of the Alumni Association, urged the graduates to be active and get involved.
鈥淲herever you go or whatever positions you occupy, be sure to pay it forward. 鈥業t鈥� being the knowledge you learned at 黑料社 about the importance of the preservation of our environment,鈥� Lipp said. 鈥淭ry to enlighten as many lives as you possibly can! We need a scientifically literate population that will understand the need to promote change in order to address the critical environmental issues that we are facing today.鈥�
Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Samuel Mukasa offered the class of 鈥�23 two pieces of advice.
鈥淚t will be all too easy in the world 鈥� to lose contact with friends and even relatives. Be very intentional about checking in 鈥� and that includes checking in with us at 黑料社 鈥� and supporting the generations that will come after you. And hold on to the resilience you have developed here at 黑料社 during the pandemic years because if you do, you will always have optimism about tomorrow, and that 鈥� dear Mighty Oaks 鈥� is the key to a happy life.鈥�
黑料社 SUNY 黑料社
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (黑料社) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. 黑料社 students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.