Commencement

Senior Portraits

Capture your special moment with graduation pictures taken by Picture This, CSI’s official senior portrait photographer.

SITTINGS ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

When: Wednesday, 4/3 – Wednesday, 5/22            

Where: Campus Center, 1C-215

Cost: $10 sitting fee

How to Pay: Cash, money orders or checks payable to CSIA will be accepted

How to schedule your appointment: Contact Picture This at 718-447-4607, weekdays during business hours.

Notes:

• Cap & gown poses, as well as your own attire included in your sitting.
• Limited graduation regalia will be available to use.
• Don’t delay! Schedule your appointment NOW to guarantee availability.
• In-studio appointments are also available. Contact Picture This for more information!

Regalia & Spirit Gear Pop-Up Shop

Caps and gowns for degree candidates and CSI spirit-wear will be available for purchase in the Pop-Up Shop.

When:

• Wednesday    5/8     12-5pm
• Thursday        5/9     12-5pm
• Friday             5/10   12-8pm
• Monday          5/13   12-5pm
• Tuesday         5/14   12-8pm
• Wednesday    5/15   12-5pm
• Monday          5/20   12-8pm
• Wednesday    5/22   12-8pm

Where:

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

Cost:

• Undergraduate (cap, gown, and tassel) package: $32
• Graduate (cap, gown, hood, and tassel) package: $45
• CSI Commencement Stole: $10
• CSI 2024 Tassel: $5
• Dolphins Class of 2024 T-Shirt: $20- SOLD OUT
• Dolphins #firstgen T-Shirt: $20
• Dolphins V-Neck T-Shirt: $20
• CSI EST. 1976 T-Shirt: $20
• CSI Dolphins Hoodies: $40

How to pay:

Students may purchase regalia and other spirit gear via finbucks, credit card, check, or money order.

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 buy a gown outside your height range, we will not be able to exchange it later.
• All sales are final. There are no refunds, and any exchanges need to take place before May 23 and with the original receipt.

Graduation Survey

What’s next after graduation? CSI would like to learn about your experiences at CSI and how your College education prepared you for your career path. 
 Prior to graduation, please complete a brief Graduation Survey, which is accessible in your To Do List on CUNYfirst.

To access the survey, follow the steps below

1. Sign into CUNYfirst
2. Click on the Student Center
3. Click on Tasks and Holds
4. Choose the Graduation Survey from the To Do List
5. Complete the survey (You’ll know it is complete because it will no longer appear on your graduation checklist).

The College-Wide Ceremony

The seventy-fifth Commencement of the College of Staten Island will take place on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 9:30 am. The ceremony will be held outdoors on the Great Lawn, rain or shine. Candidates should be at the College by 8:15 am to participate in this ceremony.

All graduates should report to Alumni Walk, located between the campus center and the library (see campus map), with the exception of the following:

• School of Business report to the front of building 3N
• School of Education report to the front of building 3S
• Mathematics Department report to the front of building 1S
• Chemistry Department report to the front of building 6S
• English Department report to the front of building 2S

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 23.

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.

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.

Students with Accessibility Requests

Special arrangements will be made for degree candidates with disabilities. If you require assistance, please complete this Accommodation Request Form. Contact the Office of Accessibility at 718.982.2510 or Access@csi.cuny.edu if you have additional questions.

The College-Wide Ceremony

The seventy-fifth Commencement of the College of Staten Island will take place on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 9:30 am at the College of Staten Island (2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, New York). The ceremony will be held outdoors on the Great Lawn, rain or shine.

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.

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.

Parking & Transportation Information

Please be mindful that parking is extremely limited and will be available at all marked lots on campus. Please 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.

Please note that 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.

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 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 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 be on the CSI website by 9:00 am on May 23rd.

For Further Information

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

2024 Post-Commencement Departmental Exercises

Questions regarding Post-Commencement Departmental Exercises are to be directed to your major’s departmental chairperson or the dean of the division/school. 

To find contact information for departmental chairpersons or deans, use this link.

Dear Class of 2024,

We are graduating!

Please join us in commemorating our achievement with a donation to the 2024 Senior Class Gift.

What is the 2024 Senior Class Gift campaign?

The Senior Class Gift Campaign is a cherished tradition and an opportunity for seniors to come together one last time before graduation to promote a philanthropic spirit among the graduating class. By providing an opportunity to start giving back to their alma mater, CSI seniors take their first steps towards becoming proud alumni by extending a helping hand to the next generation of students. 

This year, your donations will directly support the CSI Food Pantry. Your contribution will make a significant difference in ensuring that no student goes hungry.

We suggest a donation of $24 in honor of our class year – or whatever amount you can give – it’s your participation that counts!

All students who donate $10 or more will receive a blue and gray spirit cord to wear at commencement AND be entered into a drawing to win a brand-new set of Apple Air Pods!       

Your involvement matters, so please donate here to make your 2024 Senior Class gift!

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

Congratulations and thank you,

Luke Katz, Student Government President
Samantha Samy, Student Government Vice President

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 23, 2024. 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 2024 graduates are invited to participate in the Commencement ceremony even though final grades or requirements may not yet be complete as long as they have filed for graduation by the deadline (March 1, 2024) for those semesters. 

Am I eligible to participate in the Commencement ceremony?

The college holds one Commencement each academic year—at the end of the spring semester. Students who will complete their degree requirements in fall 2023, winter 2024, spring 2024, or summer 2024 are eligible to participate in the 2024 ceremony.

Apply 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: see Graduation Application Deadlines below.

• The deadline to file for fall 2023 graduation was October 1, 2023.
• The deadline to file for spring 2024 graduation is March 1, 2024.**
• The deadline to file for summer 2024 graduation is July 1, 2024.

** The March 1 application deadline also applies to August candidates who wish for their name to be included in Commencement publications and announcements. While we will continue to accept August graduation applications until July 1, 2024, we make no guarantees or promises that a candidate’s name will appear on any list, but your degree will be conferred along with those who applied by the March 1 deadline.

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 print in capital letters but names will print 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.

Status of Your Graduation Application

Applications are processed in the order in which they are received.  Students can apply for graduation and check their application status in CUNYfirst by clicking on the “Graduation” tile in their Student Center.

The following are the Grad Statuses assigned in CUNYfirst:

• Applied for Graduation: You have applied to graduate from your declared major/minor. 
• Approved: The Registrar has certified that all requirements are complete and your degree will be awarded at or after the conferral date for the applied term.
• Awarded: The Registrar has certified that all requirements are completed and your degree is now reflected on your student record.
• Denied: The Registrar was unable to certify your degree as you are missing one or more requirements.  Contact your advisor(s) to discuss a resolution or for advice on reapplying for graduation in a future term.
• Eligible: You are eligible to apply for graduation from your declared major/minor. 
• In Review: Your enroute associate’s degree is approved.
• Pending: Based on the Registrar’s and the Academic Departments’ review of your coursework, successful completion of outstanding or current coursework may result in the conferral of your degree.  A communication will be sent to your address on file if additional information is required.
• Withdrawn: Your application for graduation has been withdrawn.  To be considered for a future term you must reapply.

Degrees and Diploma Distribution

Digital and physical diplomas are now being issued via Parchment
7-10 weeks after degrees are awarded and posted in CUNYfirst, 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 the issuance of a transcript (such as those for parking tickets, Auxiliary Services, or the Financial Aid Exit Interview) will also prevent the diploma from being sent out. 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 3 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 provided by Parchment to set up your 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 are able to access and view your digital diploma on the Parchment website, your paper diploma will not be far behind. Diplomas are 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.

• Once you log in to your Parchment Account, click on Orders at the top of the page.
• On the next page you will be able to 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, please contact Parchment directly for assistance on their website.

Tributes to the Class of 2023

• Commencement Exercises/Program and Candidates 2023
• Degree Candidates Listing 2023
• CSI Gallery - 2023 Commencement Photos
  

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Tributes to the Class of 2022

• 2022 Candidates for Graduation
• CSI Commencement Photo Gallery

Tributes to the Class of 2021