ACPHS’ event manager, Patty Tompkins, is the force behind the scenes making sure Commencement goes off without a hitch – or, as she says, without a hitch that anyone can notice. This year’s ceremony will be the 16th Commencement she has pulled together. We asked her how she gets it done so beautifully.
What does the job of planning our commencement entail? What are some of the things that you have to bring together?
It’s everything from start to finish – from finding a venue to acquiring information about the students, what their degrees are, coordinating flowers, parking, anything that has to do with Commencement. That's me.
Have there been big changes in the ceremony since you started organizing it?
Just location. I mean, that's a huge, huge thing. We started out at the Empire State Plaza when I was first doing it. Then it moved to SPAC (the Saratoga Performing Arts Center), and now we're moving to Albany Capital Center.
It’s a huge deal when a venue changes. The procedure is the same; how we get from point A to point B is completely different. For example, parking becomes a huge thing. At SPAC, there was open parking because it's a concert venue. When you're downtown, parking spots are like gold. So that becomes quite a challenge.
How long does it take for you to get to get Commencement together? When do you start your planning?
After I take a few days off after Commencement, I start planning the next year. There's so many colleges, universities, high schools that use these larger venues for their Commencements. So the venues are being booked. We need to start that early because everybody else is starting that early.
Once I get that down, usually we start meetings in January, with a committee. Up until then, I'm usually solo – just getting the little bits and pieces together. Pulling it all together with the committee, with different assignments, volunteers, that kind of thing – that starts around January.
Is there any one moment that was the most unexpected or memorable in the 16 years you've done this?
The only thing that really sticks out in my mind is every year when that pipe band kicks in. There is a feeling for me and I think anyone attending – like, it's one of those moments and it is palpable; you can feel it. Parents and everyone in the audience are just swelling with happiness and pride. It's that way every year, I just get this feeling of joy that these people are so happy. It's one event where everybody's happy.
What's your favorite part of Commencement?
It's been on my mind for a full year, so I'm always glad when it's over and it goes without a hitch – at least that anybody outside can see. I see mistakes, maybe, but no one else does. I do think the beginning, when everyone is in the venue and that snare drum in the pipe band kicks in, it's like a sigh of relief.