AMHERST, N.Y. – Daemen College will begin the academic year and officially welcome more than 415 new students and their families at the college’s annual Convocation ceremony planned for 3 p.m. Sept. 1 in the Wick Campus Center Dining Room.

Convocation, which is one of the central events for the college’s Welcome Weekend,  will feature remarks by Daemen President Gary Olson; Dr. Michael Brogan, senior vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college; and other speakers from the college’s administration, faculty, staff, and student body. A reception will immediately follow the event in the Wick Social Room.

“Convocation is a ceremony that marks the beginning of our students’ collegiate careers and serves as a festive opportunity to welcome our new students to the Daemen family,” said Olson.

The welcome on behalf of the Daemen College/Rosary Hill Alumni Association will be presented by Tom Mackowski ’83, director of service delivery for media platforms at Ericsson, a multinational networking and telecommunications company.

An experienced technology business leader, Mackowski oversees at Ericsson’s Boston location a service delivery team of operations, professional services, technical support, program management, quality control, and training functions.

He previously was vice president of operations and service delivery at Azuki Systems, where he also served as senior director, and has held key management positions at other major technology companies.

Mackowski earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Daemen.

For the first time, Convocation will also introduce new students to the recently launched One Daemen initiative, which focuses on the importance of community, diversity, and the responsibility of all members of the Daemen community to create a welcoming environment.

Daemen alumna Danise Wilson ’01, executive director of Erie Niagara Area Health Education Center, will be the guest speaker. Wilson, who received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Daemen, has devoted the past 20 years to enriching the Buffalo community through mentoring and outreach activities. She was recognized for her commitment and professional success as a 2017 Business First 40 Under 40 honoree.