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Long road
SUU grads earn more credits
than any other Utah school
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Lynette Checketts, a senior math education major
from Bear River, in cap and gown, ponders her upcoming
graduation. The Utah System of Higher Education
reports the average graduate at SUU in 2001 accumulated
147.7 credits, the highest in the state and a reason
for many students to wonder about the efficiency
of programs at SUU.
ANNE McCONNELL / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL |
By TYLER JOHNSON
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
It takes more credits on average for students to graduate
with a bachelor’s degree from SUU than from any
other four-year school in the state.
According to the Utah System of Higher Education Biennial
Assessment and Accountability Report printed on March
14, on average, SUU students graduated with 147.7 credits
in the 2000-2001 school year.
Also included in the study were the University of Utah
(141.3 average credits upon graduation), Utah State University
(141.7 credits), Weber State University (144.3 credits),
Dixie State College (138.7 credits) and Utah Valley State
College (145.9 credits).
Michael Richards, associate provost, did not give a specific
reason for SUU’s numbers being so much higher than
the other schools in
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the state but suggested that credit requirements
might be different from school to school.
According to the Web sites for both schools, SUU and the
University of Utah both require 122 credits to graduate,
yet SUU’s students have 6.4 more credits on average
upon graduation.
Utah State University and Weber State University, according
to their Web sites, both require 120 credits for graduation.
Richards said he noticed, however, that even though SUU
has the worst ranking in the state for credits upon graduation,
the school is following a downward trend.
In the 1999-2000 school year, SUU graduates had an average
of 151.4 credits and the worst ranking in the state, as
opposed to 2001’s 147.7 credit average upon graduation.
Weber State and the University of Utah’s graduates
are on an opposite trend with more credits upon graduation
in 2001 than in 2000.
SUU’s numbers for credits upon graduation are also
the worst in the state for native students. Natives had
143.9 credits upon graduation in 2001, which number was
also down from 2000’s 145.0 credits.
Statistics for transfer students differed for the 2001 school
year. The credits upon graduation rating for transfer students
at SUU was only the third worst in the state, ranking higher
than Utah Valley State College and Weber State.
Regardless of how the schools rank against each other, graduates
in 2001 had more than 20 necessary credits for most schools
in the state of Utah.
Richards said some students are not following a steady course
towards graduation, which is causing the high numbers.
Some people are attracted toward different majors throughout
their schooling. Every major requires different types of
credit requirements, which can cause an excess of credits
upon graduation.
Richards said he suggests students consult an adviser regularly
and learn what classes are required for graduation in their
particular majors. This is a good time of year for students
to seek adviser assistance because it’s time to start
planning for next semester, he said.
Other statistics from the Utah System of Higher Education’s
report shows that 300 students graduated with degrees in
areas of education in 2001.
Richards said SUU produces the second highest amount of
degrees in areas of education in the state, second to Utah
State University.
Thirty-two students graduated in areas of computer science
and 15 graduated in the area of engineering and technology
in 2001.
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Veterans
honored
for duty
By JACKIE ANDRUS
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
Local veterans will be honored for their service during the
Veterans Day Observance Program today.
“At a time when patriotism is so high in the country,
this is a chance for students to see people who have had patriotism
their whole lives,” said Kathy Nelson, program coordinator
and assistant registrar. “Students can find these special
stories anywhere they live, right in their own community.”
The 15th annual program will be at 11
a.m. in the Sharwan Smith Center Ballroom
and will feature performances from SUU and community groups.
A color guard will be performed by the ROTC and will also escort
the honorees. Acclamation will perform patriotic songs and the
Cedar High School Symphonic Band will perform music which includes
the service hymns of all the branches of the U.S. military.
Fifth graders in Iron County who participated in the “What
My Country Means to Me” poster contest will be presented
with certificates.
Three veterans from Cedar City will be recognized for their
service to the country and community as well as their support
for SUU, Nelson said.
Honorees will include the late Brent C. Palmer, professor of
botany, mycology, and microbiology at SUU who served in the
Army in Germany; Jeanne P. Lawler, who served in the Coast Guard
intelligence and wrote the music to SUU’s school song;
and Carl F. Davis, Jr., who was wounded five times in Vietnam
and received the award of the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism
for helping another soldier after he was wounded
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The 15th annual Veterans Day Observance Program will
begin at 11 a.m. today and will honor three Cedar City
veterans who will be recognized for their service and
support to the country, the community and SUU.
ANNIE BROWN / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
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himself. Mark Barton, vice president of University Advancement
and Regional Services, will also be honored for his past work
with Nelson in organizing the program.
Armistice Day, which was later changed to Veterans Day under
the direction of Dwight D. Eisenhower to honor all veterans,
was instituted to commemorate the end of World War I when the
Armistice was signed to end the conflict in Europe.
The Armistice was signed on Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 a.m. An act
approved May 13, 1938 made Nov. 11 an official U.S. holiday.
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