Nearly 400 graduate from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business in December
Douglas D. Anderson had been to graduation at USU before. He graduated in 1973 with degrees in economics and political science and he earned his masters in economics in 1975.
December 16, however, was the first time Dr. Anderson went as the dean of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business . He started as dean at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business in July of 2006.
Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
Dean Anderson said he found the experience of personally shaking hands with the nearly 100 Jon M. Huntsman School of Business undergraduate students who attended rewarding.
"We invest a lot of energy in our efforts to prepare students to be effective, ethical leaders in the international marketplace," he said. "Attending commencement and personally congratulating these students reminded me of what it’s all about. I could tell these students were confident and prepared. I believe we just sent a wave of graduates out that will make positive difference in this world."
University officials estimate that about 300 undergraduate students and nearly 100 graduate students graduated in December from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business but not all of them chose to participate in the university’s 116th Commencement exercises. Overall, about 2,000 students from Utah State University attended the event.
President Stan Albrecht spoke and noted that the first graduates of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business entrepreneurship program were in the audience.
"Entrepreneurship is a key word in the strategy for moving this college to the next level," he said of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business , "and we are excited today to see the results that come from those entrepreneurial fires that are being set in the lives of the students."
USU's 116th Commencement
Erik Lindstrom, the valedictorian from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business , was nabbed and interviewed by the Ogden Standard-Examiner. Lindstrom, who majored in accounting, told the paper he would soon be living in New York City where he has landed a job with Price, Waterhouse and Coopers.
The graduates were warned that life wasn’t going to suddenly get easier for them. The commencement speaker, Janet Anderson, a clinical professor in the Department of Agriculture, was the commencement speaker.
"You may not want to hear this today - but life will become increasingly more complex," she said. "Expect it. Because of this, you will need to establish realistic expectations for your career. It may seem like life is a race because you’ve been in that race - but life is not a race. The game is now yours. It’s your life and you should do what you want."
She warned them about becoming too busy and lost in the gadgets that keep people connected. She advised them to give the gift of "being present."
"These days it is too easy to be connected to everything, yet be connected to nothing or to no one," she said. "If you are present, you will be able to notice everyone who works with you. If you are present you will be able to put your life in perspective."