Dean of GSE shakes hands with Master's level student graduating.

New beginnings: Commencement Recap

On Friday, May 17, 2024, GSE celebrated its 93rd commencement ceremony in UB’s Center for the Arts. Faculty, staff, students and their guests gathered to recognize the achievements of the Class of 2024. Dean Suzanne Rosenblith and UB President Satish K. Tripathi conferred degrees on the 536 graduates during the memorable event.

The night before the ceremony, GSE hosted a special dinner to celebrate the achievements of graduates and distinguished members of the GSE community. During the dinner, several prestigious awards were presented:

Dean’s Service Award

Steven Graser
Director of Professional Development and Instructional Technology Resources, Erie 1 BOCES

Distinguished Alumni Award

David Cantaffa
Associate Provost, Academic Programs, Planning, and Assessment, The State University of New York

PhD Excellence Award

Laureen Cantwell-Jurkovic
Information Science, PhD '24

Dr. Edwin D. Duryea, Jr. Higher Education Memorial Award

Sara Robinson
Higher Education, PhD '24

Award of Excellence for Faculty Mentorship

Alexa Schindel
Selected by graduating PhD students for her deep commitment to student mentorship

At the commencement ceremony the following day, Dean Rosenblith presented several additional awards, acknowledging exceptional contributions to the GSE community:

Excellence in Community Outreach and Engagement Award

Marcus Deveso
Learning and Teaching in Social Contexts, EdD ’24

Excellence in Equity, Diversity, Justice and Inclusion Award

Hifza Nasar
Early Childhood Education, EdM ’24

Excellence in Research Award

Madilynn Rutherford
Counseling/School Psychology, PhD ’24

Delbert Mullens "Thinking Outside the Box" Award

Finune Shaibi
Educational Leadership and Policy, EdD ’24

The ceremony also featured an inspiring speech by Finune Shaibi as the event’s student speaker.

She encouraged her fellow graduates with these words:

"To my fellow graduates, I urge you to never lose sight of the impact you can have. Your work will touch the lives of countless individuals, shaping their futures in ways both big and small. … Remember that you have the power to inspire, to uplift and to transform lives. Let your passion for education be a beacon of light in a world that can sometimes feel dark.”

Congratulations, Class of 2024!