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Commencement of Class of 2005 celebrated outdoors

By Lisa Gulya '07
May 30, 2005

On Sunday, May 29, at 2:30 p.m. the Class of 2005 graduated from St. Olaf, as part of the college's 116th commencement.

Despite intermittent rain in the morning, President Christopher Thomforde decreed that the ceremony would be held outdoors, and by afternoon, the sun was shining.

During their college years, these 692 students witnessed Sept. 11, 2001 a presidential election and the Iraq War. Commencement speaker Gretchen Morgenson '76, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times, urged the graduates to move forth into the world with optimism -- and to show kindness, always, even to their adversaries.

In keeping with St. Olaf's position as the nation's top liberal arts college for sending students to study abroad, 76 percent of the graduates participated in at least one off-campus program. Those programs, both international and domestic, range in length from a month to a year.

The top five majors in the class were English, psychology, biology, economics and music. Although most students receive a Bachelor of Arts degree, 22 men and women graduated with a Bachelor of Music.

Thirty-six percent of the class declared two majors, and nine students pursued three majors. Additionally, 15 students designed individual majors.

The collective grade-point average (GPA) of the graduating seniors is 3.30. Eighty-two percent of students who started with the Student Support Services program, which helps students overcome class, social and cultural barriers to complete their college education, have completed degrees.

Fifty-eight percent of this year's seniors graduated with honors. Six percent of the class graduated summa cum laude. Another 52 percent graduated magna cum laude or cum laude.

The Class of 2005 includes two Goldwater Scholars, four Fulbright Scholars and 79 members of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the country.

Numbers and percentages can't tell the whole story, however. Many students have dealt with non-academic challenges in order to graduate. "There's just some remarkable comeback stories in this group," says Dean of Students Greg Kneser.

The Class of 2005 includes a woman who had two children while attending St. Olaf as well as a student who returned to finish his degree after his business failed. (He now plans to pursue a graduate degree in chemistry.)

Most graduates are preparing to enter the workforce or to continue their education after graduating. Some students, however, will take time to serve others by teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), working in the Peace Corps and doing mission work.

"That's a very strong St. Olaf tradition," says Provost and Dean of the College James May.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.