Outgoing St. Bonaventure University President Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., presided over her last Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 16, and was honored by the Board of Trustees with designation as the university's first President Emeritus.
The honor is a deep show of respect for Sr. Margaret, allowing her to retain the honorary title of university president. Sr. Margaret, who will leave office in July after 12 years as president and nearly 20 years with the university, was also awarded a special medal from Pope Francis.
The presentations were among the highlights of the university's 156th Commencement Exercises and commencement-related events. The university conferred degrees on more than 560 undergraduate and graduate students.
Other Commencement-related highlights are recapped below.
University pays tribute to four with honorary doctorates
An accomplished "Bonaventure couple," a Franciscan itinerant preacher and author, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist received honorary degrees at Commencement.
The honorary Doctor of Humane Letters was conferred on Raymond C., '64, and Maureen K. Dee, successful entrepreneurs and longtime Bonaventure backers. The honorary Doctor of Letters was conferred on Fr. André Cirino, O.F.M., of Immaculate Conception Province, whose ministerial experience includes parish work, retreats and education; and on Dan Barry, a member of the Class of 1980 and a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the New York Times.
Learn more about our honorary degree recipients
Ideal Bonaventure Students named at Honors Ceremony
Two St. Bonaventure University students who excelled in and out of the classroom and who embrace Franciscan values were recognized as the Ideal Bonaventure Students for the graduating Class of 2016.
Jaisree Iyer, the Ideal Bonaventure Woman, and Jason Damon, the Ideal Bonaventure Man, were recognized on Saturday, May 14, during the university’s Honors Ceremony, and again Sunday during its 156th Commencement Exercises.
Learn more about Jaisree and Jason
Others recognized at Honors Ceremony
Sr. Margaret honored with medal from Pope Francis
St. Bonaventure President Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., was honored by Pope Francis during the university’s Baccalaureate Mass Saturday afternoon.
Sr. Margaret received a standing ovation from more than 1,000 students, family members and university community members after Fr. Greg Dobson, pastor of St. Mary of the Angels Roman Catholic Church in Olean, surprised her with the papal medal at the end of the Mass, held in the Reilly Center Arena.
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SBU honors Mary Trinity with Gaudete Medal
-with-sr-margaret-carney-university-president.jpg?sfvrsn=3 "Mary Trinity (right) with Sr. Margaret Carney, university president.")
Mary Trinity, who’s lived a life of service since she was a teenager, was celebrated with a Gaudete Medal on Friday at the university’s annual Thomas Merton Prayer Service recognizing senior students with significant service in mission and ministries.
The highest honor bestowed by the university, the Gaudete (gow-DAY-tay) honors those who exemplify the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi through their compassionate spirit and desire to serve humankind.
Trinity, of Maplewood, N.J., is a 1981 alumna of St. Bonaventure. Her husband, New York Times columnist Dan Barry, gave the Commencement Address on Sunday.
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Event photo gallery
Privitera, Young and Boersma cited for professional excellence
Three St. Bonaventure University faculty members were recognized for professional excellence at Sunday’s Commencement Exercises.
Honored with the Faculty Award for Professional Excellence in Research and Publication were Dr. Gregory J. Privitera, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Kimberly Young, professor of journalism and mass communication, and director of the online master’s program in strategic leadership. Dr. Gerald Boersma, assistant professor of theology, received the Junior Faculty Award for Professional Excellence.
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SBU holds first-ever Multicultural Stole Ceremony
The academic achievements of domestic students of color were celebrated in the university's first-ever Multicultural Stole Ceremony, held Saturday, May 14, in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.
The ceremony recognized student successes, while paying tribute to family, friends and others who helped the students along the way. Each student selected an individual who was instrumental in his or her development to present the Kente Stole.
Crafted in Ghana of vivid colors on a black background, the stole symbolizes the rich history of domestic students of color. The use of stoles to celebrate individuals of stature dates back to the Middle Ages, and their use in American adcademia dates back to the first college graduation ceremonies.
Students wore the stoles at Sunday's Commencement Exercises. The event was organized by Parker A. Suddeth, coordinator of the Damietta Center for Multicultural Student Affairs at St. Bonaventure.
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Six ROTC cadets commissioned as second lieutenants
Six graduating seniors who were cadets in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at St. Bonaventure University were commissioned as second lieutenants on campus Saturday.
The ceremony, held at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, was followed by the Silver Dollar Salute, a tradition in which newly commissioned officers hand a silver dollar to the first soldier who salutes them, typically someone instrumental in their upbringing, education or training.
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Event photo gallery