Peer graduations differ from USU’s
Only one of Utah State University’s peer institutions, Oregon State, graduates its students in the style President Kermit L. Hall has proposed for this year’s graduates.
John Navarrete, Education senator for the Associated Students of USU, mentioned some of these institutions and others to Hall during his proposal Thursday.
Hall said each university has its own way of running things.
Navarrete agreed, “Ohio State is Ohio State. Virginia Tech is Virginia Tech.”
Then he added, “And Utah State is Utah State. Have you asked the students at Utah State University [what they want]?”
The president’s proposal allows for a university-wide ceremony at which students will walk to the stage and receive diplomas, but without their names being announced. Individual colleges have the opportunity to hold their own name-reading receptions or celebrations on the side.
Most of USU’s peers hold individual college commencements. Some add a university-wide confirmation ceremony, where graduates are confirmed in a manner similar to what USU currently offers. They stand up and sit right back down.
The real deal happens within the college ceremonies.
• Colorado State University:
Evelyn Grace, a provost administrative assistant, said there are ceremonies for each of her university’s eight colleges.
Colorado State, a university with enrollment similar to USU’s (23,000), tried for two or three years in the 1990s to stage a university-wide commencement ceremony.
Students felt a single graduation for about 3,100 students was too much, Grace said. It was less personal, because names weren’t read aloud with the presentation of diplomas.
“I think students enjoy that smaller feeling,” Grace said.
• Oregon State University:
Oregon is USU’s one peer that runs commencement the way Hall has proposed.
During its university-wide, spring ceremony, Oregon graduates 3,400 students. Diplomas are given out, but names are not read.
Barbara Balz, chair of commencement, said the event requires between 150 and 175 people to pull it off. Plans begin 15 months prior to the event.
It is challenging to keep students in the right order, Balz said. Students have received the wrong diplomas in the past.
About the proposed change in USU’s commencement, Balz said, “If something like that were proposed for this campus, if I was in charge of it I don’t think I could pull that off in that short amount of time.”
• New Mexico State University:
There are two ceremonies in the spring that each group two to three colleges. About 1,500 students graduate in each ceremony.
Loretta Campolla, records specialist, said names are read aloud with no difficulty. Diplomas are mailed six weeks after graduation.
• Texas A & M University:
Colleges are coupled for the ceremonies. Students’ names are called and diplomas are given out. There are about 1,200 students in each ceremony.
• Washington State University:
There are three different college ceremonies for about 4,000 graduates. Names are read aloud.
Jeanie Damon, chair of graduations, said the current program has been in place since 1985, when it was changed from a university-wide commencement.
The students asked for the change, she said. They wanted a more personalized ceremony at which names were read.
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute, North Carolina State University and Iowa State University:
These institutions have university-wide ceremonies at which students are confirmed. Afterward they attend college events, where their names are read. Diplomas are often mailed later. This is a format similar to the one USU has followed over the past years.
• Penn State University:
About 6,200 students are honored in 12 ceremonies. This includes graduate students. Names are not read, and diplomas are mailed six weeks after the ceremonies.
• University of California Davis:
Each college has its own ceremony. About 1,600 students have their names called and pictures taken as they walk across the stage. Diplomas are mailed later.
Shirley Jordan, commencement coordinator for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said, “[Reading names] means everything to the student. It’s their one second of fame.
“Bottom line: It is the students’ graduation,” she said.