SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. (image provided)
State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr., EdD, will address SUNY Geneseo’s undergraduate Commencement ceremonies this year on Saturday, May 20.
John B. King Jr. is the 15th Chancellor of the State University of New York, the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States. Prior to his appointment as chancellor, King served as president of The Education Trust, a national civil rights nonprofit that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps for students from preschool through college.
King also served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the tenth US Secretary of Education. Before his cabinet appointment, King fulfilled the duties of Deputy Secretary of Education, overseeing all policies and programs related to P–12 education, English learners, special education, and innovation. His service in Washington, DC, followed King’s tenure as New York State’s first African American and first Puerto Rican Education Commissioner, a role in which he oversaw all elementary and secondary schools, as well as public, independent, and proprietary colleges and universities, professional licensure, libraries, museums, and numerous other educational institutions.
King holds a BA in government from Harvard University and a JD from Yale Law School, as well as both an MA in the teaching of social studies and an EdD from Teachers College at Columbia University.
Geneseo’s commencement ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Both are in the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena.
Read about SUNY Geneseo's honorary degree recipient for Commencement 2023