As of today, January License Grads will not be receiving a graduation ceremony. Instead, the office of Admiral Alfultis and Provost Jennifer Waters have deemed a May graduation ceremony fit for those graduating in January. This comes as a slap in the face to all graduating cadets. Most will not be able to attend this ceremony due to sailing. When this was brought to the Admiral’s attention, it was thrown aside. Furthermore, this is a slap in the face to all the parents that had to make sacrifices to help get their kids through school. The message that the administration of the school is sending is this. “Thanks for the tuition money, here’s your license, leave.”
If any concerned Alumni would like to call the school and see exactly what is going on for themselves, you may reach the Admiral’s office at (718)-409-7270 and the Provost’s office at (718)-409-3305. This would be appreciated.
It is a grind to get through this school and furthermore, many of those graduating early in January are doing so because of heavy courseloads taken throughout their time at Fort Schuyler. It is not right what has been decided upon.
This was the same policy at Mass, what the big deal? You graduated early, congrats. You saved a semesters tuition and can start sailing before the union’s flooded with 100 new 3rd’s.
Kids don’t go to college so their parents can see them walk across a stage in a fake uniform. If they did, they can wait until the summer to do it. Plenty of short term gigs out there to make money in between.
Yea, I guess the decent thing for the academy to do is offer a January graduation ceremony. But without a doubt, the best gift a young recent grad could give their parents is proving all the sacrifices they made for their kid was worth it by having a job & out of the house 5-6 months after graduation. I’d take that over a graduation ceremony where some kids except a gift anyday.
And Maine. Most of the academies have one graduation per year, SUNY Maritime may be the only one with more. As far as graduating early, a good portion of those finishing their requirements out of sync are graduating late, not early. The only thing preventing me from breaking out my very tiny violin is that some cadets are out of sync due to sea time issues associated with COVID.
Texas does too, but it’s only because of the non-reg population that far outnumbers the academy. Not sure it’s still the same, but it was May, August, and December commencements.
I don’t think they should have a whole commencement ceremony for the small amount of people. I think it would be respectful to have a small event, maybe in the special events room. Really though if I were in that situation, I’d place more value in having a fancy dinner with just my family and/or closest friends to celebrate.
I think just having a nice holiday break with my family and knowing I don’t have to return to that place after the New Year would be enough for me. The best reward for graduating is a job, whatever that entails.
Also @sea-hound most will probably not be sailing for the may graduation, because statistically only about 40% of graduates end up sailing on a good year. I wouldn’t come back to that freezing cold campus in January after being home for a month just to walk across the stage and shake that guy’s hand.
I graduated Schulyer in 3.5 years and had to walk at a January graduation ceremony. I would have loved to just get my license in the mail. Before I had my license, I got hire by a local tug company to start as a deckhand. Didn’t even have a MMC and they wanted me to start Wednesday and graduation was Friday. I worked Wednesday Thursday and Friday, left the tug Friday night and got my license and went back to the tug. SALT.
At Texas Maritime, I got my license in the mail and was relieved and thankful I did not have to return to campus. I just wanted to get on with my new career. To each their own, though.
I never went to any graduation ceremony for myself, didn’t seem to be worth the trouble when I could be at the beach drinking beer etc. Must be hereditary as my kid didn’t attend high school or college graduation ceremonies. When I asked where she was ranked she said “one of the cum laudes, don’t remember which you can look on the diploma.”
I never attended graduation at SUNY. I was out on Cadet Observer. Never even received my diploma. Sent the registrar a snail mail letter asking how to get/buy one and never received a response.
I had to provide a transcript to someone once, and I was able to do that via a third party service.
The day before graduation, they put a small, laminated copy of our diploma in our mailboxes. I got mine, and found that they had misspelled my first name. . .geez. I went to Admin and let them know. It was the norm to be handed empty tubes during graduation, supposedly to prevent any pranks. After the ceremony, we had to go to the Admin to get our licenses and diplomas. All I got was my license (and that was all I really wanted). I got my diploma in the mail a month or so later.
Same here. Being that I had passed my license exam the previous winter, all I wanted was the ticket. The graduation ceremony was lovely for my parents and grandparents, but totally not necessary in my mind.
I did my own walk as a Hawsepiper. 1986 I walked out of NOLA REC on St Charles Ave. and across the street to Whitey’s Circle View Inn and order the best scotch they had(Chivas Regal as this was a wino bar) and toasted myowndamnself! Take the ticket and run!
Hey this is off topic but figured I’d at least ask. I know SUNY takes license exams about this time of year. Did you just test/ currently testing? If so I have some questions, any answers would be much appreciated. Cheers.