Commencement 2005

Stan Albrecht conducted his first commencement ceremony as president of Utah State University Saturday, May 7.

"As president, I take particular satisfaction in the accomplishments of each one of you," Albrecht told the graduates. "I want you to know how proud I am of each one here today."

Utah State University's 113th commencement honored the 4,217 members of the Class of 2005. During the university's graduate ceremony May 6, 431 graduate degrees were awarded and the Saturday event conferred bachelor’s degrees on 3,786 undergraduate students. Forty-seven states and 36 foreign countries were represented by the graduates, and the class was equally divided — exactly half of this year's graduates are women, and half are men. The youngest graduate is 18. The oldest is 70 years old.

"I am very pleased to report that Utah State University has never been healthier — in terms of the caliber of our students, the accomplishments of our faculty, the support and enthusiasm of our great alumni, and the dedicated commitment to excellence of our trustees, the Utah State Board of Regents, those who serve in the Commissioner’s Office, and all our extended family across the state of Utah and the Intermountain West," Albrecht said.

"USU is one of the flagship institutions in our country's great armada of land-grant universities. This designation underscores our commitment to serving all of the citizens of Utah. The land-grant philosophy — to provide access to education for all — is a central facet of American democratic thought, and it remains the central purpose of this institution."

Read all of President Albrecht's commencement remarks in the "Presidential Remarks" section of this page.