Commencement

The College-Wide Ceremony

The seventy-fourth Commencement of the College of Staten Island will take place on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 9:30 am. The ceremony will be held outdoors on the Great Lawn, rain or shine.

All graduates should report directly to campus no later than 8:15am.

• Graduates of the School of Business should report to the front of building 3N
• Graduates of the School of Education should report to the front of building 3S
• Graduates of the Mathematics Department should report to the front of building 1S
• Graduates of the Chemistry Department should report to the front of building 6S
• ALL other graduates should report directly to Alumni Walk 

The Commencement Ceremony will be livestreamed. We will have several camera feeds, so your family and friends at home or abroad will get a high-quality experience. Open captioning will be available.  The livestream link will appear on the CSI website by 9:00 am on May 25.

Parking and Other Transportation Information

Please be mindful that parking is extremely limited and will be available at all marked lots on campus. Try to make every effort to carpool to the College. Please convey this to your guests as well.
 
All MTA buses (including the S93) will stop at the main gate on Victory Boulevard, and a CSI shuttle bus will pick people up and bring them onto campus near the Great Lawn.

Tickets for Guests
Tickets are not required for guests to attend the College-wide ceremony on the Great Lawn. Please be mindful that seating is extremely limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Students with Accessibility Requests
Special arrangements will be made for degree candidates with disabilities. If you require assistance, contact the Office of Accessibility at 718.982.2510 or Access@csi.cuny.edu.   

Preparing for the Ceremony

Senior Portraits 
 

• PICTURE THIS is your official senior photographer and appreciates the opportunity to capture your graduation portrait. 
• Candidates may make an appointment to have their portrait taken in the PICTURE THIS studio by calling their office at 718-447-4607, Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm.
• For further information or questions, contact the Office of Student Life, 1C-201 at 718.982.3088.

Cap & Gown Pop-Up Shop

Final two days to purchase your Commencement regalia.
Schedule:

• Monday, 5/22: 12-8pm *EXTENDED HOURS*
• Wednesday, 5/24: 12-8pm *EXTENDED HOURS*

Location:

• Building 3A – First Floor, Parking/Dolphin Card Services

Cost:

• Undergraduate (cap, gown, and tassel) package: $30
• Graduate (cap, gown, hood, and tassel) package: $42

Important Details:

• Don’t wait until the last minute! You are encouraged to purchase and pick up your regalia during the first full week of the Pop-Up Shop. During the two days of the shop on Commencement week, we will likely start running out of some of the sizing ranges and cannot guarantee we will have your height range in stock. Cap and gown regalia come bundled together and cannot be sold separately.
• Please do not iron your gown as it will damage the gown, and you will have to purchase another package. To get out any wrinkles you can use a steamer, or hang up the gown in your bathroom before taking a hot shower so the steam can release the wrinkles. 
• Exchanges can only be done for gowns that were purchased in their accurate height range. If you choose to buy a gown outside of your height range, we will not be able to exchange that gown at a later date. 
• All sales are final. There are no refunds, and any exchanges need to take place before May 25th and with the original receipt. 

Discounted Spirit Gear:
There will be limited quantities of the following CSI spirit gear items available for purchase at the Pop-Up Shop. Take advantage of the special in-person discount pricing! 

Questions about FINBUCKS? Email dolphincard@csi.cuny.edu.

The College-Wide Ceremony

The seventy-fourth Commencement of the College of Staten Island will take place on
Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 9:30 am at the College of Staten Island (2800 Victory
Boulevard, Staten Island, NY). The ceremony will be held outdoors on the Great Lawn,
rain or shine (see campus map).

The music prologue begins at 9:00 am, and the ceremony starts promptly at 9:30 am;
however, you are encouraged to arrive as early as 8:15 am with your graduate since
there will be limited parking available and a high volume of traffic entering through the
front gate.

The Commencement Ceremony will be livestreamed. We will have several camera feeds so your family and friends at home or abroad will get a high-quality experience. Open captioning will be available.  The livestream link will appear on the CSI website by 9:00 am on May 25.

Parking and Other Transportation Information
Please be mindful that parking is extremely limited and will be available at all marked lots on campus. You are encouraged to make every effort to carpool to the College with your graduate.

The Great Lawn, where the College-wide Commencement Ceremony will be held, is a considerable walk from the College’s parking lots (see campus map). Therefore, comfortable footwear is recommended. 

All MTA buses (including the S93) will stop at the main gate on Victory Boulevard, and a CSI shuttle bus will pick people up and bring them onto campus near the Great Lawn.

Tickets for Guests
Tickets are not required for guests to attend the College-wide ceremony on the Great Lawn. Please be mindful that seating is extremely limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Commencement Program
Commencement programs will be distributed to graduates and their guests on Commencement Day. It will feature a QR code with a link to the online Commencement booklet listing all degree candidates.

Guests with Accessibility Requests
Guests with mobility concerns should inquire at the entrance gates about special on-campus transportation. They will be directed to a designated drop-off point where they and one companion can access special transportation to and from the ceremony site. If a particular need should arise while on campus, please notify a uniformed Public Safety Officer.

For other accommodation requests, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services at 718.982.2510 or Access@csi.cuny.edu.  

Livestream
The Commencement ceremony will also be livestreamed. We will have several camera feeds so family and friends at home or abroad will get a high-quality experience. Open captioning will be available.  The livestream link will appear on the CSI website by 9:00 am on May 25.

Questions?
If you need additional information about Commencement, email commencement@csi.cuny.edu or call 718.982.2335 during regular business hours. 

March 2023

Dear Candidate for Graduation:

The seventy-fourth Commencement of the College of Staten Island is scheduled for Thursday, May 25, 2023. This College-wide ceremony will be outdoors on the Great Lawn at 9:30am, rain or shine.

We are excited to announce, too, that the event will once again be live-streamed. There will be multiple camera feeds, including a dedicated view of the candidate procession onto the Great Lawn. Viewers will experience a high-quality stream of the ceremony. Open captioning will also be available. The livestream link will be on the CSI website by 9:00am on May 25th.

Be sure to review the “Instructions to Candidates for Graduation” and “Information for Guests” below to learn about cap and gown purchases, senior portraits, diplomas, and important details for Commencement Day. Check back frequently, as information is added and updated often.

You will receive ceremony-specific information and event updates via your CIX email. Check your email regularly. If you have trouble and need help accessing your CIX account, please email the HelpDesk.

On behalf of the entire College of Staten Island campus community, I wish you my very best congratulations. You should be so proud of everything you have accomplished throughout your academic journey. I, along with CSI faculty and staff, look forward to honoring you on this special day and celebrating your hard work and dedication.

Sincerely, 
Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
Interim President, College of Staten Island
The City University of New York

What is the difference between graduation and Commencement?

Graduation is the process of applying for completion or your degree program via CUNYfirst through the Registrar’s Office. Commencement refers to the ceremony for graduates on May 25, 2023. There is one Commencement ceremony each academic year at the end of the Spring semester. To participate in Commencement, students must have filed for graduation by the established deadlines.

Graduation and Commencement are not the same. To participate in Commencement, students must have filed for graduation by the established deadlines. For students to “graduate” and receive their diploma, they must have successfully completed all courses and have met all degree requirements.

Spring and Summer 2023 graduates are invited to participate in the Commencement ceremony even though final grades or requirements may not yet be complete if they have filed for graduation by the March 1 deadline for those semesters. (Note: Applications for summer graduation will continue to be accepted via CUNYfirst; however, after March 1, CSI cannot guarantee that those names will be published or appear on any lists.)

Application for Graduation

Graduation Applications for a student's declared degree are accepted ONLINE via CUNYfirst.

Students are eligible to apply for graduation once they have earned 45 credits towards an associate's degree, 94 credits towards a bachelor's degree, and at any point at the graduate level. Students should apply for graduation before the deadline in the semester they will complete their final requirements.

IMPORTANT:

• The deadline to apply to graduate for June or August via CUNYfirst was March 1, 2023.
• Applications for summer graduation will continue to be accepted via CUNYfirst; however, after March 1, CSI cannot guarantee that those names will be published or appear on any lists.

Click here for instructions on how to view your application status.

This is also a good time for you to check the spelling of your name in our student database. Spelling, capitalization, spaces, and hyphens should all be checked.  The diplomas are printed in capital letters, but names will be printed exactly as they are in CUNYfirst in all commencement publications and/or activities.  If you believe your name appears erroneously in CUNYfirst, please follow instructions here.

If you experience issues applying online via CUNYfirst please email degreeaudit@csi.cuny.edu.
 

Degrees and Diplomas

• Degrees are awarded in CUNYfirst on the 15th of January, 15th of June, and 31st of August. Shortly thereafter, graduates will be sent a congratulatory email to let them know their degree has been awarded, and any transcripts they request going forward will verify their degree information.
• All emails will be sent to your preferred email address listed in CUNYfirst. To update your contact information, including your mailing address, in CUNYfirst, follow these directions. While doing so, please check the spelling of your name as it appears in CUNYfirst to ensure we have the correct spelling of your name for your diploma. If you have difficulty with this, please email us at degreeaudit@csi.cuny.edu for assistance.
• Approximately 6 - 8 weeks after degrees are awarded, graduates will receive an email notification with instructions for electronically claiming their diploma through the Parchment website. Please be advised that any holds that would prevent a transcripts' issuance will also prevent the diploma from being sent out (Financial Aid Exit Interview). Please email degreeaudit@csi.cuny.edu once the hold is lifted, and the team will be able to send the diploma to you via Parchment within 1-2 business days.

To claim your Parchment account, please follow these 3 simple steps:

• Check your email for the award notification from Parchment.
• Follow the link to set up your Parchment digital credentials account.
• Share your digital diploma on Facebook and LinkedIn or download a secure .pdf version.

Benefits of a Digital Diploma

• Your digital diploma will always be accessible through your Parchment account. You can login and download or share it repeatedly, at no cost to you. Once you claim your account and log in, you can share your achievements!
• Easily share your digital diploma with employers with a secure and verified link.
• Share with family and friends on social media like Facebook and LinkedIn.
• View your digital diploma online at any time with permanent access through Parchment.com.
• Download your digital diploma and save it as a PDF. Digital Diplomas can serve as an Alternative to the Apostille.
• Many countries recognize digital diplomas. Parchment Award diplomas support the needs of international credentials.

Paper Diplomas

• Once you can access and view your digital diploma on the Parchment website, your paper diploma will not be far behind. Diplomas will be shipped via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to the mailing address we have on file for you, and you can check the status of your order through the Parchment website. To update your contact information, including your mailing address, in CUNYfirst, follow these directions. While doing so, please check the spelling of your name as it appears in CUNYfirst to ensure we have the correct spelling of your name for your diploma. If you have difficulty with this, please email us at degreeaudit@csi.cuny.edu for assistance.
• Once you log in to your Parchment Account, click on Orders at the top of the page.
• On the next page, you will see the status of any diplomas you have requested and their status. Digital diplomas will show Delivery Type: Electronic, while paper diplomas will show the Delivery Type: Mail.

If you have difficulty accessing your Parchment account or issues with your login, you can contact Parchment directly for assistance on the Parchment website.

Note:  If you ever need an additional copy of your paper diploma, please click here.
If you graduated in January of 2020 or earlier and need assistance claiming a diploma, please contact degreeaudit@csi.cuny.edu

Dear Class of 2023,

You are graduating! Please join us in commemorating our achievement with a donation to the 2023 Class Gift. This tradition is a way for graduating students to give back to students who may need assistance to earn their degrees and who follow in our footsteps. This year, our goal is to show our generosity with an outdoor state-of-the-art mobile charging station to offer much-needed technology support to help the next generation of CSI students. 

Now, it’s our turn to show our school spirit and pay it forward. We suggest a donation of $23 in honor of our class year, but any amount will help.

                       All those who donate $10 or more will be entered into a drawing to win brand new 

 Apple AirPods Max Wireless Headphones! 

Your participation counts so please donate here to make your 2023 Class gift!

Any questions? Please contact Jacqueline Lamberti, Associate Director of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving at jacqueline.lamberti@csi.cuny.edu.   

Congratulations and thank you,                          

Michael Ivany,                                         Zeinab Cisse, 
Student Government President                Student Government Vice President

Tributes to the Class of 2022

• 2022 Candidates for Graduation
• CSI Commencement Photo Gallery

Tributes to the Class of 2021