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Canisius President John J. Hurley will preside over his final commencement ceremonies this month, as his tenure at the college comes to a close on June 30.  Graduate commencement is scheduled for Wednesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Koessler Athletic Center (KAC).  Undergraduate commencement is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, also in the KAC. The college will host two undergraduate ceremonies on this day to better accommodate all graduates and their families.  Commencement for the College of Arts and Sciences will take place at 10:30 a.m.  Ceremonies for the School of Education and Human Services and the Wehle School of Business will follow at 1:30 p.m.  

In addition to the conferral of formal degrees upon graduates, each commencement ceremony will include a student speaker address and the conferral of honorary degrees and awards.  Among those individuals receiving an honorary degree, in absentia, is Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Additional individuals receiving honorary doctorate degrees during Canisius commencement ceremonies are: 

Erik Brady ’76, retired sportswriter for USA Today and contributing columnist for The Buffalo News; 

Robert J. Butler, PhD, professor emeritus of English and longtime director of the All-College Honors program at Canisius; 

Myron, MD and Joyce Glick, founders of the Jericho Road Community Health Center in Buffalo, a Federally Qualified Health Center; 

Nancy Nielsen, MD, PhD, clinical professor at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and past president of the American Medical Association; 

George Scott, president of the Colored Musicians Club in Buffalo; and 

Hon. Shirley Troutman, associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals.  

In addition to the conferral of honorary degrees, the Canisius College Alumni Association will bestow its LaSalle Medal upon two graduates. The LaSalle Medal is awarded to alumni whose contributions have advanced the interests of alma mater.  This year’s LaSalle Medal recipients are:

Lee C. Wortham ’79, who recently concluded seven years as a member of the Board of Trustees, including four (2017 – 2021) as chair.

Anthony M. Masiello ’69, HON ’96, former mayor of Buffalo and member of the Canisius College Board of Trustees, for which he helps formulate and recommend policy to President John Hurley.

For more information and to see the full release click, here.

Submitted by: College Communications