May 07, 2024
As the seniors at St. Bonaventure University prepare to conclude their collegiate journey, the distance that once separated them has now transformed into an unbreakable bond, symbolizing their shared experiences and growth throughout their time together.
St. Bonaventure will celebrate the Class of 2024 during its 164th Commencement Exercises at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 12, in the Reilly Center Arena.
As part of graduation celebrations, each of the university’s five schools held its own Honors and Awards Ceremony. This week’s Senior Week events include a picnic, banquet, University Ministries prayer service, and reception with faculty and staff.
On Friday, May 10, the ROTC Commissioning Ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. in the Quick Center and the annual Candlelight Induction Ceremony will be held in the Plassmann/Swan quad at 8:45 p.m. to formally welcome students into the alumni family.
Activities on Saturday, May 11, include the Multicultural Stole Ceremony at 11 a.m. in the Reilly Center Arena, Physician Assistant Long Coat Ceremony at 1 p.m. in the Quick Center, and Baccalaureate Mass at 4 p.m. in the arena.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, a 1979 St. Bonaventure alumnus, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Commencement. A 25-year Delta veteran, Bastian has been a leader in Delta’s long-term strategy and a champion of putting Delta’s shared values of honesty, integrity, respect, perseverance and servant leadership at the core of every decision.
Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M., will receive an honorary doctorate at the ceremony. The former Siena College president (2007-2014) was, since 2014, the provincial minister of Holy Name Province until it merged with five other U.S. Franciscan provinces to become the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in October 2023. A trustee of St. Bonaventure since 2014, his term on SBU’s board expired this spring.
The Class of 2024 student speaker is Maya Henderson of Orchard Park, New York, a Political Science major with Spanish, Law & Society and Philosophy, Law and Politics minors.
For more information about Commencement, go to www.sbu.edu/Commencement. Many of the events will be livestreamed at https://video.ibm.com/channel/st-bonaventure-university-live-stream.
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).