Welcome New Alumni!
On Friday, May 16, 2025, 771 candidates proudly crossed the Westchester County Center stage during the 53rd commencement ceremony.
Celebrated were Honorary Degree Recipient Adam Nagourney ’77 and President’s Award for Distinguished Alumni Jeffrey Putman ’96 for embodying the Purchase spirit by leading thoughtfully, empowering others, and inspiring change.
From The Load to The Times
Esteemed journalist Adam Nagourney (Economics) delivered a valuable prescription to the graduates: lean into their collective Purchase experiences to find their way in the world.
For more than 45 years, Nagourney has covered elections and politics, providing insights into the democratic process for millions of readers worldwide. Since 1996, he’s been a national and political reporter for The New York Times , a role he envisioned the very first time he reported a story—for The Load , the Purchase newspaper of record in the 1970s and 80s.
“I remember thinking that night that this was what I wanted to do with my life, to write for newspapers. For some reason, I decided at that moment I wanted to be a national political reporter for The New York Times,” he recalls.
Nagourney has also written two books, The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn and the Transformation of Journalism (2023) and Out for Good: The Struggle to Build a Gay Rights Movement in America (1999).
“I have no doubt that I am what I am today… because of the exposure to the ideas, the intellectual energy, and the take-a-chance spirit of faculty and fellow students that I encountered here,” he says.
Rather than deliver platitudes, Nagourney encouraged patience and offered a sobering yet hopeful message.
“This is the world that we are presenting you with, and hopefully, you are leaving here with the tools, the ideas, the inspirations, the experience, the friends, the insights about yourself that will help you get through that,” he says.
“I expect that in 45 years, one of you will be standing on a stage like this and making a speech like this, and realize, as I have, that you took the right lessons from your years here, and are ready and equipped to go out and repair the broken world we have bequeathed you,” his voice catching with emotion, “and to make a great life for yourselves. I sure did.”
Devoted to Student Success
Jeffrey Putman, EdD, (Political Science) also credits his Purchase experiences as foundational. He currently serves as the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs for all five SUNY Downstate schools and colleges.
His 30-year career empowering students began on campus, where he had roles in student government and championed initiatives such as the Alternative Clinic, student-run publications, and the WPSR radio station.
“Purchase instilled in me a deep sense of possibility and a set of enduring values: curiosity, service, and the power of community.”
He stuck around after graduation, holding multiple positions in student affairs on campus from 1996 to 2006. His ongoing commitment to Purchase continues through his membership on the Purchase College Alumni Association Board of Directors, a role he’s held since 1997.
The self-admitted Star Trek fan drew on the science fiction franchise for advice to the Class of 2025, as he shared a quote from Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
“‘It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness. That is life,’” further suggesting a shift away from self-blame when life doesn’t go as planned.
“That doesn’t mean you failed; it simply means that you’re living boldly. This work, this life, is not about having all the answers, but about remaining open to the questions.”