For Immediate Release — Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Contact:

Mary E. McCrank

Media Relations Officer

(585) 245-5516

mccrank@geneseo.edu

Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy to deliver address at SUNY Geneseo's 140^th commencement May 13

GENESEO, N.Y. — Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy will deliver the address at the State University of New York at Geneseo's 140^th commencement on Saturday, May 13.

Duffy, the city's popular police chief for seven years, was elected mayor in November 2005, winning 72 percent of the vote in a four-way race. Since taking office, Duffy has forged alliances with Monroe County government, state politicians, business leaders and members of community organizations to win more state aid for Rochester and to improve the economy in Rochester.

Geneseo's commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on the site of the "B" parking lot on campus, adjacent to South Hall, just off of Park Street/College Drive between Main Street and Route 63. Approximately 1,150 undergraduates will receive their diplomas during the exercises, and approximately 35 graduate students will receive master's degrees.

Duffy was born and raised in the city of Rochester. The youngest of three sons of a Taylor Instruments administrator and a school teacher, he played basketball for Aquinas Institute before going on to college and joining the Rochester Police Department in 1976.

While his first career choice was to become a coach or teacher, after he took the civil service examination for police officers and went on a ride-along with a senior officer during training, he knew he was meant to serve in the police force.

Duffy's first investigative command in the Rochester Police Department was to help lead a very difficult internal investigation following the arrest of former Police Chief Gordon Urlacher. This experience taught Duffy to never be afraid to take a stand.

He went on to serve as deputy chief of police from 1992-1998 and was appointed chief of police in 1998. As chief, Duffy had a two-fold mission: to lower the city's crime rate and improve police-community relations. While he never intended to enter politics, Duffy responded to a request by friends and members of the community to run for mayor.

Duffy received his associate's in recreation management and criminal justice in 1975 and 1988, respectively. He received his bachelor's with honors in business management, criminal justice and communications from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1993. While serving as deputy chief of the police department, Duffy received his master's in public administration from the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1998.

He and his wife, Barbara, have two daughters, Erin and Shannon. In his spare time, he enjoys running, reading and spending time with his family.

Geneseo's commencement will be broadcast live on the Web at http://commencement.geneseo.edu.

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NOTE TO MEDIA:

Media passes are required for admittance to the grandstand. For more information, or to obtain a pass, call Sarah Grace Pretzer at (585) 245-5516, or after 6:30 p.m. and on weekends at (585) 657-5488.