Large crowd braves weather for USU Commencement

 Hundreds of students, faculty, family and friends gathered on the Utah State University campus May 2 to celebrate the 121st commencement. The graduating students walked in a rain-soaked processional that began on the university quad near Old Main and continued north through campus to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum where the commencement exercises were held.
                USU President Stan L. Albrecht conducted the commencement program that conferred bachelor’s degrees on 2,247 undergraduate students. Utah Senator Robert F. Bennett, long-time champion for Utah’s agricultural community and for higher education, addressed the graduates.
                Bennett told the crowd that there are three documents all people living in the United States of America should use in their daily life, no matter their origin or race. These are the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Gettysburg Address. He urged the graduates to keep these writings in mind as they moved on from their formal education.
                “Your assignment, and you must choose to accept, is to go forward and commence your careers,” said Bennett. “Do this as a new generation of Americans.”
                Bennett received an honorary doctorate during the program along with four other prominent individuals including Marc C. Bingham, entrepreneur and Utah businessman; Huey D. Johnson, pioneering conservationist and environmental policymaker; Bonnie D. Parkin, former general president of the Relief Society for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and Bertrand D. Tanner, eminent micrometeorologist and scientific entrepreneur, who was honored posthumously.
                President Albrecht congratulated the students and said the accomplishments of the graduating class were both impressive and wide-ranging. He told them he enjoyed the opportunity to meet many of them and learn their personal stories. He told the students that they are the reason he has the very best job in the world.
                “Graduation is a time for celebration, not just for our graduates but, as well, for their families,” said President Albrecht. “What has happened here today reflects many untold stories of sacrifice, steadfastness, courage, generosity and commitment. Often, you were the ones who first instilled the desire for education. As importantly, you have been the ones who provided the needed encouragement and support to continue to the finish. So, with you, we celebrate what truly is a remarkable joint achievement.”
                The student commencement speaker Erin N. Cottle, valedictorian from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, thanked all of the professors, advisors, administrators and faculty members who helped the graduating class. She said that without their support, guidance and expertise, the students would not be where they are today.
                “Your dedication and skill have shaped both our minds and our futures,” Cottle said.
                The spring commencement ceremony includes graduating students from all of USU’s seven colleges. President Albrecht acknowledged the 2,247 students receiving undergraduate degrees, 148 of whom were from USU’s regional campuses. He noted that 470 graduate degrees (including master’s and doctorate) were awarded at the graduate ceremony held on the university campus, Friday, May1. Graduates came from 32 states and 18 countries. Half of the graduating class were men, the other half women. The youngest graduate was 15-years-old and the oldest was 66-years-old.
                For more information on USU’s spring commencement and to view a digital scrapbook, visit the USU Commencement Web site at http://www.usu.edu/provost/commencement/.
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