Excelsior College Commencement Celebrations Held on Thursday, July 11 and Friday, July 12 in Albany, NY

Albany, NY – Excelsior College, a not-for-profit, accredited online institution, welcomes graduates from throughout the United States for its annual Commencement Celebrations this week. Our annual Awards Convocation will be held Thursday, July 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Albany Capital Center. The 48th Annual Commencement ceremony includes traditional pomp and circumstance and will take place Friday, July 12 at 3 p.m. at the Empire State Plaza Convention Hall in Albany.

2019 is significant for both graduates and the College. This year, Excelsior has the second largest graduating class since 2010, with 6,001 students earning degrees. This year’s graduates include 1,148 from New York and 142 from the Capital Region. We are also expecting our largest registered attendance with 540 graduates traveling to the Commencement ceremony, each bringing their own stories of achievement.

The graduate speaker is Anthony Cinquini from Glendale, Arizona. He is a two-time graduate of Excelsior College. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts in 2004 and earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies in 2019. Cinquini, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army, will speak to his leadership philosophy, honed in the military and through his studies at Excelsior.

If you would like to attend Convocation and/or the Commencement ceremony and set up interviews, email ajacobs@excelsior.edu or call (518) 410-4624.

Additional Information: Excelsior College Awards Convocation

During the Awards Convocation on Thursday, July 11, Excelsior honors graduates for their accomplishments and alumni who have made substantial personal, professional, and community contributions. President’s Medals will also be awarded. Four faculty members will also receive Distinguished Faculty Awards.

The Awards Convocation showcases graduates’ stories of work/life balance, overcoming obstacles, and lifelong learning. Several award recipients will speak, including:

• Ebony Thomas, of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Thomas completed a Bachelor of Science in National Security in August 2018, summa cum laude, with a 3.95 GPA. She is a language professional with Acclaim Technical Services based in Reston, Virginia. She served in the U.S. Air Force from 2011 to 2016 as a cryptologic language analyst where she provided support for the NSA. During her time in the Air Force, Thomas expanded a military outpatient referral program to provide care for hundreds of servicemembers while reducing more than $1 million of costs to the U.S. Department of the Army. She is also the recipient of three service medals, two achievement medals, and more than 15 other accolades during her time in active-duty military service.
• Steven Marciano, of Palm Harbor, Florida. Marciano completed a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences in December 2018, summa cum laude, with a 3.93 GPA. He is a policies and procedures coordinator with a large health care system based in Florida where he collaboratively contributes to the growth of the public health approach to the delivery of care to the community. Marciano is a first-generation college student who has found his calling to advocate and serve marginal, vulnerable populations. Marciano attended the Transgender Health Conference in Boston in fall 2018 and continues to provide information and resources to better serve the transgendered population in his area.
• Susan D. Mueller, of Ithaca, New York. Mueller completed a Master of Science in Nursing Education in June 2018, magna cum laude, with a 4.0 GPA. She is a RN diabetes educator at IthacaMed and a clinical instructor at Tompkins Cortland Community College. She also volunteers in a variety of community health-related positions. For Mueller’s capstone project—the culminating project in the master’s program—she, along with several others, founded a food pharmacy at the Ithaca Free Clinic to provide supplemental nutrition for patients who struggle with both food insecurity and chronic cardiometabolic disorders like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.

Additional Information: Excelsior College 48th Annual Commencement

The 48th Annual Commencement on Friday, July 12 will have more than 500 graduates crossing the stage. The Class of 2019, with 6,001 members, includes graduates from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Our international graduates also represent 17 other nations: Australia, Canada, Ecuador, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Israel, Lebanon, Maldives, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, and United Kingdom. Of this year’s graduates, 35 percent are members of the U.S. military; 959 are U.S. military veterans.

Our oldest graduate is a 78-year-old James Arthur Moynihan, from Kennesaw, Georgia, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Business. Excelsior provides educational opportunity to all learners. The average age of graduates in the Class of 2019 is 36 years old.

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Media Contact: Alicia Jacobs    (518) 464-8531

ABOUT EXCELSIOR COLLEGE

Excelsior College (excelsior.edu) is a regionally accredited, not-for-profit online college focused on helping adults complete their degrees and advance their careers. The college contributes to the development of a diverse, educated, and career-ready society by valuing lifelong learning with an emphasis on serving individuals historically underrepresented in higher education. Founded in 1971, Excelsior meets students where they are – academically and geographically – removing obstacles to the educational goals of adults pursuing continuing education and degree completion. Our pillars include innovation, flexibility, academic excellence, and integrity. Learn more at excelsior.edu.