The commencement speaker at Utah Valley State College finally got his degree Friday - an honorary doctorate of business - almost 20 years after he left college to take a job with Huntsman Chemical.
Ronald A. Rasband, president and CEO of the largest privately held chemical company in America, said he was only two semesters away from his goal when Jon Huntsman made him the offer that inalterably changed his life."Let me tell you how special this day is for me,' said Rasband.
"I grew up in a middle-class family about 35 miles from here. My mother and father were not able to finish college. My father was a bread truck driver.
"So, it was a goal for each of us as their children to get a college education. Academically, I could not qualify for BYU, nor could I qualify financially for some of the other colleges I wanted to attend. Hence, I chose the University of Utah, which allowed me to live at home, attend school and still work.
"Life could not have been more challenging than in those college years," he said. He continued to work full time, was married while he and his wife, Melanie, had two children.
"During that time, I met Jon and Karen Huntsman. I don't think he ever knew my grade point average," he quipped, "but he saw two character traits he liked, a strong work ethic and the ability to balance life's priorities."
Rasband said he was invited to meet with Huntsman, who explained he needed Rasband to start almost immediately.
Finishing school would have to wait, and "there hasn't been a spare minute since," Rasband said.
"That night I will always remember, choosing between a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or sticking with my original goal. The next morning I accepted the offer, promising to catch up later."
Rasband went on to tell the 1,547 graduates that good luck comes to those prepared to take advantage of it. "True luck favors the better-prepared mind, so my `good luck' to you is given with respect," he said.
Rasband was one of a trio awarded honorary degrees Friday. He shared the podium with Sen. LeRay L. McAllister, R-Orem, and Shunji Aoki, founder of Contact International Inc.
McAllister has served in the Utah House of Representatives for eight years and is currently in his 13th year in the Senate. He is chairman of the Senate Executive Appropriations Committee.
Aoki has been instrumental in developing the sister-school relationships between Utah Valley State College and schools in his homeland of Japan.
Graduates at UVSC included 25 who have earned four-year degrees and 1,124 graduates from the Utah County area, along with graduates from nine countries and 24 states.
Four valedictorians spoke at the individual school convocations: Judy Hoffman, Provo, for the School of Humanities and Sciences; Kathleen D. Day, Spanish Fork, for the School of Health Professions; Jeri Lynn Allphin, Provo, for the School of Business; and Elizabeth P. Lupus, Orem, for the School of Technology, Trades and Industry.
Four teachers were honored at the graduation. Gordon B. Garrett, chairman of the Science Department; G. Randall Kin, instructor of fine arts; Anita Musto, assistant professor of office technology and administration; and Loretta Palmer, assistant professor of learning enrichment, were named by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development as teachers of the year.
The spring ceremony is expected to be the last held in the college's activity center as the new Special Events Center is scheduled to be finished by next year.