Queens College recently cut the funding for the departmental commencement ceremonies, so more money could go towards academic advising, career readiness programs, and other programs to support students. This has left all the departments (except the English department) scrambling to fund the commencement ceremonies. The departmental ceremonies have so many benefits:

1. Students are honored directly by their professors and department chairs, making the celebration(s) more meaningful and intimate than the larger campus-wide ceremony (at the campus-wide ceremony, students do not receive their diplomas)
2. The ceremonies allow professors and advisors to personally congratulate the students whom they mentored
3. Departments highlight outstanding academic achievements, such as departmental honors, scholarships, and awards specific to the major, and research/thesis distinctions
4. Departmental ceremonies are smaller, which allows more space for personal photos and family participation

The goal of my petition is to secure funding for the other departments who plan and host the ceremonies every year