MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT
SUNY Adirondack celebrates graduates during 60th annual Commencement
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » SUNY Adirondack celebrated its graduates on Saturday at the school’s 60th annual Commencement ceremony.
The event, held at the Cool Insuring Arena in downtown Glens Falls, honored hundreds of students who completed their degree programs this academic year, as well as some who earned their degree in 2020 but were not able to attend an in-person ceremony until now.
All who wore caps and gowns in the arena on Saturday completed their studies with SUNY Adirondack amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You should be proud of what you have accomplished in a time of uncertainty,” SUNY Adirondack President Kristine D. Duffy, Ed.D. told the graduates, noting that this takes grit, determination, resilience, and will.
In addition to marking the SUNY Adirondack’s 60th anniversary, 2022 also makes 45 years that the Queensbury-based college has been in the Saratoga County community, and a decade at its current Wilton campus.
The college first offered eight evening courses in rented space at Saratoga Central Catholic High School in 1977. By the early 1990s, 35 classes were offered, leading SUNY Adirondack — then still Adirondack Community College — to open a branch in McGregor Village Plaza on Route 9 in Wilton in 1995.
In the fall of 2001, the college for the first time outlined a three-year sequence of classes to complete five different degree programs entirely in its Saratoga facility, including Information Technol
“You should be proud of what you have accomplished in a time of uncertainty.” —SUNY Adirondack President Kristine D. Duffy, Ed.D.
ogy: Information Systems; Associate of Arts and Associate of Applied Science degrees in Business Administration; Liberal Arts & Science; and Health Information Technologies. Two years later, daytime classes were added to the lineup.
In 2012, SUNY Adirondack was moved to its current location. Now several degree programs can be completed entirely at Saratoga Center, or in conjunction with online courses or classes at the college’s Queensbury campus.
This academic year, nearly 400 students enrolled in at least one class at SUNY Adirondack Saratoga.
Today, more than onethird of SUNY Adirondack students hail from Saratoga County. Saratoga County residents in fall 2021 comprised 39 percent of SUNY Adirondack’s student body, with more than 1,000 students from the county attending.
“We are honored to be Saratoga’s educator of choice since 1977,” Duffy said in a press release. “SUNY Adirondack started off in Saratoga with just a few evening classes and, throughout more than four decades, has greatly expanded its presence, and is proud to be celebrating this milestone.”
SUNY Adirondack’s Wilton location provides convenient options to residents of the Saratoga area. Over the past year, the college has increased the number of health education courses and began offering “highflex” courses in which students can attend in person, via livestream from anywhere or watch recorded sessions at their convenience.
Many Early College Career Academy courses are also offered at Saratoga Center. The program — a collaboration between SUNY Adirondack and Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (WSWHE) BOCES in which high school students attend classes that teach analytical, theoretical and hands-on elements of high-demand jobs — includes fields of study in Media Arts, Advanced Manufacturing, IT: Cybersecurity and Business Administration.
“SUNY Adirondack has a long history of serving Saratoga,” Duffy said in the release. “Throughout the years we have adapted to ensure we are providing the region the well-rounded, highly trained employees our economy needs.”
On Saturday’s special occasion for all of the local graduates and their loved ones, Duffy told the classes, “In the years to come, some of your memories may fade, but I hope you will carry SUNY Adirondack pride as you navigate the next phases of your life.”
She continued, “Share your story with others. Encourage others to invest in their future, and I whop you will remember this stop along life’s journey as one of your best.”
As the commencement ceremony concluded, she advised the graduates, “Take your new knowledge and reach new heights.”