Newswise — Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will address the University of Utah's class of 2003-2004 on Friday, May 7, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, located at 1825 E. South Campus Dr. (380 S.), on the University of Utah Campus, in Salt Lake City. Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania and former congressman, will be presented with an honorary Doctorate of Laws.
The procession of 7,404 diverse graduates, who come from 60 countries, 50 U.S. states and 26 Utah counties, will begin at 8:20 a.m., with the commencement ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. (Guests should plan to be in their seats prior to 8:30 a.m. Tickets are not required.)
The class of 2003-2004 has 561 more graduates than last year, due to the increase in the number of master's degree graduates. Of the 7,404, 5,338 are bachelor's; 1,524 are master's; 288 are doctorates; 131 are Juris Doctors; 99 are Doctors of Medicine; and 24 are Doctors of Pharmacy. Of this year's graduates, 4,056 are men and 3,348 are women.
The youngest bachelor's degree recipient is 18; the oldest, 64. The average age of bachelor's degree recipients is 26. The average grade point average for this group is 3.32. The average age of students receiving graduate degrees is 32. The youngest student receiving a graduate degree is 21 and the oldest is 74.
The most number of degrees will be awarded in economics, mass communications, political science, psychology and finance.University of Utah Interim President A. Lorris Betz will officiate at this year's commencement. The student speaker will be James VanDyke, who will be graduating in English.
Honorary degrees will also be presented to Ian M. Cumming, Cleone P. Eccles, H. Tracy Hall, Christine Ackerman Machen and J. Bernard Machen, president of the University of Utah from 1998 through the end of 2003 and current president of the University of Florida. The Rosenblatt Prize, a $40,000 cash award and the most prestigious honor the University bestows on its faculty, will be announced as well.
The Distinguished Teaching Award Recipients for this year are: Douglas A. Christensen, professor of Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering; Howard Horwitz, professor of English; Sandra Shotwell, professor of Theatre; and David Temme, associate professor-lecturer of Biology. The Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award recipients are John B. Hibbs Jr., distinguished professor of Internal Medicine, and Henry S. White, professor of Chemistry.
A major public research extensive ("research 1" ) university—and the flagship institute of the Utah System of Higher Education—the University of Utah is home to more than 28,000 students. In both national and peer rankings, the University of Utah has been recognized for programs ranging from engineering to pharmacy, law to modern dance. The University is renowned worldwide for its human genetics research. Ninety percent of Utah's physicians received all or part of their training at the U of U School of Medicine, which last year received over $125.8 million in research grants and awards for the development of new technologies, treatments and cures. With a focus on teaching, service and embracing diversity, the University also offers a variety of academic, athletic and cultural events. Located in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, the University was the official site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and for the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
RSS