NASSAU COMMUNITY COLLEGE The Power to Succeed 61st Annual Commencement Ceremony Sunday, May Twenty Third Two Thousand Twenty-one At ten o’clock a.m. Office of the President Graduates, On behalf of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and administration we congratulate you on this milestone achievement of graduating from Nassau Community College. This is your moment! You should be very proud of this accomplishment. An NCC degree is only obtained through hard work, dedication, and a passion to succeed. Your family, friends, faculty, coaches and staff are right alongside you for this celebration. Whether you are transitioning to another higher education institution, immediately entering the workforce, or a combination of both, I know you will make a positive impact in this world. Your potential is limitless. You are NCC graduates. You possess a remarkable ability to adapt, matched with unwavering determination and resiliency. These qualities are proof points that you will thrive and reach your goals, no matter what life throws your way. Your academic journey here at NCC has transformed you to the person you are today. Your experiences, the knowledge gained, and the relationships made will no doubt have an impact on your future. These relationships were potentially created, tested, and/or strengthened by the changes our world has seen since early 2020. While society seen so much change, you have remained resolute and we know these bonds will continue to flourish. Please enjoy this time in your lives. With everything going on in the world, take a moment to appreciate the hard work and time you have dedicated to this accomplishment. You’ve earned it! So once again, Congratulations. In times of doubt remember this moment and know you have the strength and determination to do anything because the passion in your hearts, empathy in your souls, and ability to embrace life-long learning, are all beyond measure. Regards, Dr. Jermaine F. Williams, Ed.D. President 6 NASSAU COMMUNITY COLLEGE VIRTUAL COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM Music Overlay provided by the Nassau Community College Music Department GREETINGS Jim Malatras Chancellor, State University of New York (SUNY) VALEDICTORY REMARKS Karol Rubiano CONGRATULATORY REMARKS Natalie Asitimbay President, Student Government Association, Nassau Community College CONGRATULATORY REMARKS & CONFERRAL OF DEGREES Jermaine F. Williams, Ed.D President, Nassau Community College PRESENTATION OF GRADUATES CLOSING REMARKS Jorge L. Gardyn, MD, FACP Chairperson, Board of Trustees, Nassau Community College q SALUTATORIAN Ida Ciarlo N ASSAU C OMMU N ITY C OLLEGE C OMME nc EME N T t M AY 2 0 2 1 7 EMERITUS “Resolved, that in recognition of distinguished and meritorious service to Nassau Community College, and upon the recommendation of President of Nassau Community College, the following named retired faculty members of Nassau Community College who retired after attaining the academic rank of Professor or Associate Professor, are hereby granted the permanent academic title of Professor Emeritus with all the privileges and rights accruing thereto.” Board of Trustees Minutes - September 1, 2020 and February 25, 2021. September 1, 2020 Dorotea Litvak, Professor Victor Abravaya, Professor Lois Lucca, Professor Joan Alexander, Professor Jack Mandel, Professor Gregory Arend, Professor Maryellen McNamara, Professor Stephen Beck, Professor David Nugent, Associate Professor George Bruns, Professor Mary Peck, Professor Maryann Capone, Associate Professor Wayne Ramsey, Professor Gail Cavallo, Professor Maureen Reeves, Associate Professor Dennis Christy, Professor Stephen Rose, Professor Dominic Ciardullo, Professor Stephen Samuels, Associate Professor Andrew De Joseph, Associate Professor Chris Schwertman, Professor Constance Egelman, Professor Jane Segadelli, Professor Cathy Fagan, Professor Norman Spencer, Associate Professor Rhona Feigenbaum, Associate Professor Mario Susko, Professor Frank Frisenda, Professor Marguerite Teubner, Associate Professor Joseph Gray, Professor Huda Touma, Associate Professor Sharon Grossman, Professor Joseph Varacalli, Ph.D., Professor Mark Halfon, Professor William Zatulskis, Professor Terrance Hoffman, Associate Professor Caroline Kaufmann, Associate Professor Barbara Kennedy, Associate Professor February 25, 2021 Phyllis Kurland, Professor Michael Boyle, Professor N ASSAU C OMMU N ITY C OLLEGE C OMME nc EME N T t M AY 2 0 2 1 8 ACADEMIC TRADITIONS BEARER OF THE MACE — In the academic procession, the President of the College is preceded by a mace bearer, who is a distinguished member of the Faculty or Administration in a ceremonial capacity. The custom derives from medieval times in England when the mace bearer served as a bodyguard. As a medieval officer was invested, opened court, or otherwise appeared in public functions, a mace bearer would precede the lofty person holding high a formidable weapon for protection. By American colonial days the custom had grown to represent the dignity of the office. The President of the College will wear the seal of the institution at the ceremony denoting his office. ACADEMIC ATTIRE — The wearing of a gown and hood in college dates back to the Twelfth century when universities were developing under the influence of the church. Many of the students were monks who wore a cloak with a cowl or hood attached. The gown gave necessary warmth in unheated buildings and the hood covered the tonsured head; served as a shoulder cap; or, when hanging from the shoulder, became a bag to use when collecting alms. Academic costume originated at Oxford and Cambridge over six hundred years ago when each university created its own costume partly from ecclesiastical, partly from secular sources. In the United States, the use of caps, gowns and hoods has been continuous since colonial times when Columbia University transplanted to America many of the regulations of the English universities. Several colleges had faculty academic costume codes before 1880. By 1893 many had adopted academic costume for the graduates, at student request, to provide a senior badge, to take the place of the archaic “swallowtail” dress suit, and to revive the tradition of a continuing university life. Since 1895 the American Council on Education has prescribed the academic costume now generally worn by the governing board, faculty and graduates at commencement. The Associate Degree gown is gray. At the base of the yoke on either side of the front panels is a tab with a customized NCC embroidered on it. The yoke is made in two pieces, divided in the center back with decorative cord stitched into it. The Nassau Community College hood is made of rich, black velveteen cloth with modern design of orange and blue, the school colors, displayed in a “V” chevron of grosgrain ribbon. The mortarboard cap of grey has special lightweight metal edges and a tassel of blue and orange. In academic tradition, the tassel is worn on the right until the point in the commencement exercise when the degree is granted. At this point, the “crossing of the tassel” by each graduate signifies the achievement of the Associate Degree. The Bachelor’s Degree gown is long, black, “worsted stuff” with semi-still yoke, shirring across the shoulders and black, long pointed sleeves. The length of the hood is three feet with a velvet edging two inches wide. The Master’s Degree gown, sometimes made of silk, has the same yoke effect, and long sleeves which are closed at the bottom with a cut out portion resembling a “fish tail.” The forearm protrudes through a notched slit near the elbow. The length of the hood is three and one-half feet, with the velvet edging three inches wide. Unlike gowns denoting other degrees, the master’s gown may be worn open as well as closed. The Doctor’s Degree is preferably of silk with velvet panels, three horizontal velvet bands on the upper arm of the full, bell-shaped sleeve. The length of the hood is four feet with panels at the sides, velvet edging five inches wide. The cap, or “mortar-board,” is made of black serge or broadcloth with tassel. The tassel of the doctor’s cap is usually made of gold bullion. Hoods are lined with silk and show the official color or colors of the university from which the wearer received the degree. The velvet edging may be of the color distinctive of the department in which the wearer majored. Examples are orange for engineering, green for medicine, dark blue for philosophy, white for arts and letters, purple for law, light blue for education, golden yellow for science, brown for architecture and the fine arts, lemon for library science, and drab for business and commerce. N ASSAU C OMMU N ITY C OLLEGE C OMME nc EME N T t M AY 2 0 2 1 9 SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS 2021 100 Black Men of Long Island Inc. Roslyn Visiting Nurse Association Mary Bannister Awarded to an African American male student with a Memorial Scholarship GPA of 3.2 or higher majoring in an area of Health, Awarded to a nursing student who resides in Environmental, Biology, Physics or Chemistry Rosyln or surrounding areas Stanley Mayas, Valley Stream Jacklyn Burgos, Far Rockaway Mollie M. Medrano, Long Beach Accounting & Business Administration Faculty Scholarship Awarded to a student in Accounting/Business Administration Chester N. Barkan Academic Excellence Scholarship Orel Sims, Merrick Awarded to an incoming freshman enrolled in a degree program Sylvain Munoz, New York Joseph Adamo Jr. Rising Scholar Award Awarded to single parent or student from a single parent home Wendy Belton Memorial Scholarship from the CSD Department who is Awarded to a full-time or part-time graduating/licensed LPN active in the NCC community student in good academic standing who is a single parent in Frantzdy Monteau, Springfield Gardens the Nursing field Carla JeanBaptiste, Long Beach Burhan Ahmed Hanif Dreams and Ambitions Memorial Scholarship Biology 101 Scholarship Awarded to a student in good academic standing Awarded to students who successfully completed Brianny D. Davis, Freeport Bio 101 with a grade of “A” Anthony S.