The University of Utah will confer degrees on 4,804 graduates at its 121st commencement Friday, June 8, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Terrel H. Bell, former U.S. secretary of Education, who received an honorary doctor of laws in 1981, will deliver the commencement address.Bell, who has also been U.S. Commissioner of Education, commissioner of the Utah System of Higher Education and a school district superintendent in three states, and is an emeritus professor of educational administration at the U, plans to discuss higher education's contributions to the U.S. economy and society and the U.'s crucial role in Utah and the Intermountain West.
Henry Sisneros, Layton, who will be receiving his bachelor's degree in political science, will be the student speaker. He was selected over 34 competitors.
During the exercises, honorary degrees will be awarded to four prominent Utahns. The recipients will be Donald B. Holbrook, Salt Lake attorney and political and civic leader; Roy W. Simmons, chairman of Zions Bancorporation; Aline W. Skaggs, civic and business leader; and Parry D. Sorensen, a U. staff and faculty member for more than 40 years and leader in the public relations field.
Graduates will be recognized individually at 10 college convocations held at various campus locations between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The degrees being awarded to the class of 1990 include 3,489 bachelor's, 874 master's, 220 law, medical doctor or pharmacy doctor, and 221 doctoral degrees. Total degrees awarded are up nearly 9 percent from the 4,421 awarded five years ago.
Eighty-two percent of the bachelor's degree recipients are from Utah, 15 percent from other states and 3 percent from foreign countries. They come from 24 of the 29 counties in Utah, 43 of the 50 states and 37 nations.
Utahns make up 49 percent of the graduate degree recipients, 27 percent are from other states and 24 percent are foreigners. The graduates represent 13 Utah counties, 37 states and 32 countries.
The average bachelor's degree recipient is 27.6 years old and took 6.4 years to graduate. Those figures are up from 1985 when the average age was 26.8 average and the time spent on a degree 5.8 years. This year's average graduate student is 34.6 years old and took 8.8 years to complete a degree.
Figures also reflect more women pursuing higher education and achieving higher degrees. The percentage of the bachelor's degrees going to women jumped from 39 percent five years ago to 43 percent this year.
The percentage of master's degrees going to women increased from 38 to 42 percent over the five years, law degrees from 25 to 32 percent, and doctoral degrees from 18 to 34 percent. The percentage of women among School of Medicine graduates held steady at 19 percent for both 1985 and 1990.