The College of Staten Island celebrated its 65th Commencement exercises today, as over 2,200 graduates donned their caps and gowns and collected on the campus' Great Lawn. The rousing ceremony saw several CSI student-athletes in attendance receiving their diplomas, with a collection receiving awards and citations from commencement and academic departments.

President William J. Fritz delivered the celebration's inaugural address, citing the College of Staten Island degree programs as the one of the most recognized regionally and nationally. Greetings were then delivered by the Senator Charles Schumer, CUNY Trustee Rita DiMartino, Senior Vice Chancellor Jay Hershenson, and CSI Associate Professor Soon Ae Chun.  Following recognition of Presidential medals given in December to Sylvia Kahan and Thomas Tellefsen, Valedictorian Blaze Fraser offered words from the graduates before the conferring of degrees was offered by Provost Dr. Fred Naider to President Fritz.

Department exercises followed Commencement and there, various CSI student-athletes shined, with a collection earning departmental awards and laurels.  Men's tennis star Daniel Ursomanno was extended the School of Business Faculty Award for Excellence, while swimmer Mitchel Lovell was awarded the Media Culture Department Award for Cinema Studies.  The Psychology Department recognized women's swimmer Lauren Overeem with the Anita Conte Memorial Award while teammate Priscila Alvarez took a Mark Guterman Memorial Award from Psychology as well.

The Biology Department's Faculty Awards for Research was bestowed upon former CSI swimmer and volleyball star Vasiliki Stergioula, while fellow swimmer Elaina Lei earned a Biology Faculty Award for Service.  Fellow swimmer Joanna Irizarry-Zaraza earned the Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program Award for Academic Achievement and Service to the Program.  Women's tennis netters Ilona Stoyko and Sabrina Bragerton-Nasert  who recognized for their entry into the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, while basketball senior Kevin King was awarded the Melvin Baumel Memorial Basketball Award.  At a separate Commencement Honors celebration, Ursomanno took home the Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award, while Stoyko won the same honor on the women's side.

In all, it was a rousing celebration on a beautiful afternoon worthy of celebration.

?Congratulations to all of the 2014 College of Staten Island graduates.