Commencement 2003: A Student-Centered Celebration

Commencement 2003: A Student-Centered Celebration

Saturday is a day for well-deserved smiles at Utah State University as 2,638 students walk across the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum stage to receive undergraduate degrees at the university's 110th annual commencement exercise.

The traditional graduation march begins at 8:30 a.m. May 3 from the Quad and continues to the Smith Spectrum, where the ceremony begins at 9 a.m. For more details, see the Commencement 2003 Web site.

President Kermit L. Hall will moderate the ceremony, which this year sees a number of significant changes designed to focus the event more on undergraduate students. One key change is the addition of a student commencement speaker, Lara Briana Anderson, valedictorian from the College of Science. Students will also walk across the Smith Spectrum stage to receive their official certificates of commencement.

"This is the culmination of a lot of hard work for our students, and I congratulate every one of them," Hall said.

The graduate student hooding ceremony is Friday at 1 p.m. in the Smith Spectrum. Saturday's activities are for undergraduate students only.

Click on the links below to find a lot of interesting tidbits about this year's commencement and links to some useful information.

• Commencement 2003 Statistics
• Commencement 2003 Ceremony Notes
• Valedictorians and Escorts
• Commencement 2003 in Pictures
• Driving directions to Utah State and the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum

Commencement 2003 Statistics

Class size 2003: 3,518
Class size 1993: 2,626

Degrees:

• Associate's: 98
• Bachelor's: 2,638
• Certificates: 5
• Master's: 826
• Doctorate: 54

Geographic Origin:

• Countries: 33
• States: 48

Ethnicity:

• American Indian/Alaskan Native: 38
• Asian: 38
• African American: 25
• Caucasian: 3,180
• Hispanic: 47
• Mexican American: 3
• Puerto Rican: 1
• Other: 58

Gender:

• Male: 1697
• Female: 1820

Age Range:15 to 63 years old

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Commencement 2003 Ceremony Notes

Commencement Speaker:
Gordon Gee, prominent educator/public policy leader

Honorary Degree Recipients:

• E. Gordon Gee
• Gregory C. Carr
• Larzette Hale-Wilson
• John W. Williams

Professors of the Year:

• Tamara S. Vitale - Agriculture
• Edwin Stafford - Business
• Freeman King - Education
• Michael J. Johnson - Engineering
• Vern Budge - Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
• Fred Provenza - Natural Resources
• David Peak - Science

D. Wynne Thorne Award: Steven D. Aust

E. G. Peterson Extension Award: Dee Von Bailey

Eldon J. Gardner Teaching Award: Edwin Stafford

University Graduate Mentor Award: Steven D. Aust

Student Citizenship Winners:

• Celestial Starr Bybee
• Jeffrey T. Leek

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Valedictorians and Escorts (in parentheses)

• Corinna W. VonNiederhausern - Agriculture (Stanley Allen)
• Heather Allen - Business (Rosemary Fullerton)
• Teresa Garrett - Education (Deborah Hobbs)
• Michal Hradisky - Engineering (P. Thomas Blotter)
• Rafael A. Davtian - HASS (Peter McNamara)
• Christopher Fausett - Natural Resources (Cliff Craig)
• Lara Briana Anderson - Science (Jim Wheeler)

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Commencement 2003 in Pictures

In the coming days we will be updating this section with pictures from around campus, beginning with the earliest celebrations and concluding with the final procession. Check back often to see the thrills and smiles of graduation at Utah State University.

Graduation Rehearsal

Special Note: The commencement committe would like to thank all who came to Thursday's graduation rehearsal, students especially, for the attention and patience that was exhibited. All went smoothly. Thank you!!

Media personnel were in on the rehearsal along with students, fine tuning for Saturday's ceremonies.

Faculty marshals were on hand to help things flow more smoothly. Looks like it worked as HASS students look on.

Students had the opportunity to participate in "Hail to the Aggies," a Utah State tradition, one last time.

Air Force ROTC Commissioning

A new officer receives his commission at Utah State as family members look on.

A mother-daughter moment. Linda Skelton congratulates her daughter, Lindsey, for receiving her commission.

Master's and Doctoral Hooding and Graduation Ceremony

Graduates assemble in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

President Hall congratulates a master's degree candidate.

This master's candidate wears a different kind of hood in celebration.
(I wonder what college bestows that hood.)

Commencement 2003 Ceremony

A sea of graduates watches and waits for what lies ahead.

Graduation brought smiles all around.

A proud papa and an even prouder son celebrate commencement together, while the son dreams of the day he will wear his own cap.

A couple of Saturday's graduates celebrated their classmates' accomplishments in their own way.

President Hall wrapped things up Saturday morning as another Utah State University commencement celebration came to a close.