The total number of students graduating this year is 28,322. While that number alone is impressive, there are a number of other statistics that I love learning each year. For instance, some of the youngest graduates of our various institutions this year are between 15- and 17-years-of-age, the oldest are over seventy. There are veterans, individuals from as many as almost 100 different countries around the world and award winners of various levels of excellence and distinction.

Many students are already contributing to our state’s workforce by attending institutions of higher learning while holding down lucrative employment. For instance, at Weber State University’s commencement, President Millner asked those students who were working part- or full-time while going to school. As I looked around, everyone began rising from their seats and I would estimate those employed students standing to be nearly 100%.

Those are just a few of the statistics from our colleges and universities and I admit I’m always humbled to be in the midst of these brilliant, budding minds.

Every single person graduating is so important because you help us reach the “big goal” of 66% of Utah’s workforce with a post-secondary degree/training by the year 2020. This is a great start to reaching that goal, but we cannot reach it without other students following your example. Know that your decision to attend, and finish, higher education contributes to our state’s economic prosperity and future. So to the graduates of 2011, I sincerely wish you the best of luck as you take the next steps through your life. Always reflect fondly upon your years at our Utah institutions—I am extremely proud of each and every one of you.

In case you were wondering about the breakdown by institution, here are the 2011 USHE graduation numbers:

According to a report released Thursday from salary-tracker PayScale.com, petroleum engineering majors and graduates of Harvey Mudd College are taking home the biggest paychecks.  While mid-career salaries fell 1.5% overall between 2009 and 2010, engineers, scientists and mathematicians continued to rake in the big bucks…

You can view the entire article here.

About 71 percent of Utah’s Class of 2010 took the exam before graduating from high school, and they scored an average of 21.8 points out of 36 — the same as in 2009 and 2008. In most cases, however, gaps between the scores of white students and minority students grew wider.

Also, the percentage of students who tested well enough to be considered ready for college-level biology, social science, algebra and English composition increased slightly from last year, but only to 26 percent, higher than the national average of 24 percent. In 2007-08, 20 percent of freshmen attending Utah public colleges and universities had to take at least one remedial class, according to the Utah System of Higher Education.

Read the entire article at the Salt Lake Tribune.

As thousands of students prepare for graduation from Utah’s colleges and universities, many of them are finding it harder to move on to the real world than they had hoped.

Students across the state will be getting their diplomas in the coming weeks. BYU and Weber State’s commencement ceremonies are set for Friday. But with the current high unemployment rate, many of those soon-to-be graduates will skip the 9-to-5 job and go back to school or back to mom and dad instead.

“College debt is here now. It’s time to start looking at that,” says Westminster College senior Brody Leven.

University of Utah senior Kaeleigh Forsyth shares those same concerns.

Read the full article here