Update...

USU to end winter commencement

By Kim Burgess

Published:

Friday, July 31, 2009 2:57 AM CDT

Utah State University students will get a graduation ceremony this December, but administrators have decided it will be the last one held at that time.

This upcoming fall commencement is scheduled for Dec. 11 and 12. Starting in 2010, USU will offer only a spring commencement for all students.

The school has held a December ceremony for the past four years. The decision to cut it was based on a number of issues with budget constraints being foremost, said Sydney Peterson, USU chief of staff and chair of the commencement committee.

“Current budget cuts have precipitated the need to eliminate fall commencement exercises,” Peterson said. “This change is just one in a series of adjustments we are making to address cutbacks.”

USU spokesperson John DeVilbiss said he doesn’t know exactly how much December commencement costs but said it is tens of thousands of dollars.

“The printing costs (for graduation booklets) alone is over $15,000,” DeVilbiss said. Other expenses include overtime pay for safety personnel and others involved with the ceremony.

“Any savings is important in light of the fact that we are having to deal with $27.5 million in budget cuts,” he added. “We are having to do as much or more with less.”

Other factors in the decision included low participation rates and weather concerns. Last December, roughly 2,040 Aggies were eligible to walk in the fall commencement exercise, but only about 500 participated, according to DeVilbiss. He also noted that the ceremony was almost canceled due to a major snow storm.

“We hope our students understand that this is a difficult decision,” DeVilbiss said. “The decision to return to a spring-only commencement isn’t meant to lesson the achievement of students who complete their requirement in fall semester.”

Journalism and public relations major Hayley Hayden-Axtell said she is glad she will be able to walk in the December 2009 commencement, which her family plans to attend.

“It’s better to give a year’s notice rather than a few months,” she said. “I think it’s more ethical.”

Still Hayden-Axtell said she will talk to administrators and students about the decision because she feels that a December commencement is convenient for many. She suggests offering a fall and spring commencement but getting rid of a luncheon and other events held before the main ceremony.

Weber State University is the only other public university in Utah to offer a fall commencement.

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