Purchase College Celebrated 53rd Annual Commencement

On Friday, May 16, Purchase College, SUNY held its 53rd annual commencement ceremony at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. Degrees were conferred upon 771 graduating scholars representing dozens of majors and several countries.

This year acclaimed journalist Adam Nagourney ‘77 received an honorary doctor of letters degree and higher education leader Jeffrey Putman ‘96 received the President’s Award for Distinguished Alumni.

Joshtinia Maynard, a psychology major from Brooklyn, NY, offered remarks on behalf of the senior class. Brigid Mack, a Vocal Performance major from Wynantskill, NY, performed the National Anthem. Top Shelf Party Band, which is comprised of Purchase alumni from 2003 to 2009, performed throughout the ceremony.

President Dr. Milagros “Milly” Peña said, “I was proud to honor our students and welcome their friends and families who have supported them throughout their academic careers. I am confident that the knowledge, intellectual curiosity, creativity, and skills that our students have gained during their time at Purchase will lead them to a lifetime of personal and professional fulfillment.”

About the Honorees

Adam Nagourney, a national and political reporter for the New York Times, is the author of The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn and the Transformation of Journalism, published in September 2023 by Crown Books. He has been a journalist for over 45 years. Before joining the New York Times, he worked at USA Today, the New York Daily News, and the Gannett Westchester Newspapers in New York, covering national, state, and local news. After being hired by the Times in 1996, he served as the paper’s metropolitan political correspondent, chief national political correspondent, Los Angeles bureau chief, and West Coast culture reporter, returning to cover national politics in 2023. He grew up in Larchmont, NY, where he graduated from Mamaroneck High School in 1972. He graduated from Purchase College in 1977 with an economics degree.

Dr. Jeffrey Putman serves as the Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs for all five of the SUNY Downstate schools and colleges. In his role, he provides overall coordination of services for students and serves as the deputy Chief Academic Officer. In addition, Dr. Putman also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. He previously served as Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students (2013–2017) and as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs (2006–2013) at SUNY Downstate. Prior to coming to Downstate, Dr. Putman served from 1996–2006 in multiple Student Affairs roles at Purchase College, including as Interim Dean of Students and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs & Ombudsperson. He earned his Doctor of Education in Higher & Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2011, a Master of Education and Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration also from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Purchase College, where he serves as President Emeritus of the Purchase College Alumni Association.

About Purchase College, SUNY

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College–SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.

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