Welcome and What's New....

Updated: April 1, 2020

 

Please see the message below from Interim President Mantosh Dewan regarding the necessity for a virtual Commencement this May.  The ceremony will be livestreamed on Friday, May 1 at 10am.  The ceremony will also be recorded so that it may be accessed at other times.  As additional details for the virtual ceremony become available they will be posted here and emailed to all graduates.  As the commencement is virtual, there will be no caps/gowns or in-person receptions on Saturday, May 2.  Stay tuned for information from your Dean’s Office regarding upcoming virtual recognition programs.  If you have any questions regarding Commencement, please reach out to either one of us.

 

Please take care of yourself and stay well –

 

Sharon Huard
Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Campus Life
huards@upstate.edu
(315) 464-8855

Chuck Simpson
Director of Campus Activities and Special Projects
simpsonc@upstate.edu
(315) 464-5618

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Dear Upstate Medical University Students,

I write to you today to let you know of a change in our Commencement plans. Out of abundance of caution and in keeping with current guidance on physical distancing, we will celebrate your accomplishments with a virtual Commencement Friday, May 1 at 10 a.m.

Additional details on the virtual Commencement will be forthcoming, but we wanted to provide you with this information now so you can plan appropriately. We expect this online celebration to retain an element of the pomp and circumstance of a traditional ceremony, but we will do it in a way that keeps us all safe.

We certainly understand the disappointment you may feel that we cannot gather in person, as a community, to celebrate this important milestone in your life.  We are disappointed too.  

Upstate’s Commencement is an important tradition, a time filled with joy, great enthusiasm and warm embraces as friends and families gather from near and far to celebrate graduates’ great achievements. This was a date we all had circled on all of our calendars. But the current unprecedented situation we find ourselves in, requires us to take all appropriate steps to ensure you, your families and friends, our faculty, staff and alumni and our community remain safe.  

Do not let the current events cast a shadow on your accomplishments. You have achieved great things. We are proud of you and all that you will do to serve our communities in the years to come. 


I know that your faculty and the Student Affairs staff have been working tirelessly to ensure that you are able to complete your degree requirements. While the methods and delivery have transitioned, please know that we are as dedicated to the quality of your education now as we were when you walked onto our campus for your first day of classes.

What is not lost on any of us in academic medicine, is the importance of the career you have chosen, especially at this time. As health care professionals, research scientists, and public policy advocates, you are entering the profession at a time when the entire world is in awe of your service, intellect and commitment to caring for others.

I look forward to celebrating your success at Commencement on May 1.

Sincerely,

Mantosh Dewan, MD
Interim President