Each graduation event provides: Reflection on the circumstances that have led us to this point; Thankfulness for those who have guided us to this point; Formal recognition of this transition; Sense of completion as we transition to this new phase;

Joseph J. Bucci ——Bio and Archives--May 9, 2026

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It has become one of my favorite times of the year. Watching our newly minted young undergraduate students hear their names called as they march across the Library Plaza stage to receive a scrolled document – which is a proxy for their ultimate graduate diploma (to be sent, of course, once we verify that they completed all of their studies). They enter as young adults who had achieved success in their local community by surviving a very challenging high school experience. They enter the academy once having been top dogs as high school seniors; but now suddenly, they start again at the bottom, navigating a multiplicity of experiences on the road to this final graduation day.

Many enter the academy after having moved away from family for the first time. They now live in a new place with four or five strangers in their apartments. They must navigate new schedules and work opportunities. Some of them are athletes, who must balance their athletic schedule and new class requirements.

Most of these students have successfully made it through four or five years of undergraduate studies here at our University in order to reach this commencement ceremony. Nationally, according to the NCES (2020), some 64 percent of students had completed a bachelor’s degree at the same institution where they started (NCES, 2020). Some will transfer and complete their degrees online or at another school. Only 44 percent of first-time bachelor’s degree recipients in Academic Year 2015–16 completed their degree in 4 years or less (NCES, 2017).

A few of our new entries will decide that this college experience is not right for them. It is not right for everyone, and there are plenty of good-paying skilled jobs that these men and women can get and earn a very nice living (Tedards, 2026). In our area, a resort city requires bodies – not necessarily highly educated ones – to staff the hotels and fix the meals and to wait on customers during the busy seasons.

So what will these graduates gain now that they have completed their pursuit of that precious diploma? The data has always suggested that on average, college graduates do fare better in their earnings over a lifetime than those who do not pursue a degree. According to one independent research site (EducationData.org) the average bachelor’s degree recipient has a 681.95 percent lifetime return on investment; with a median lifetime return up to 1,041.85 percent (Hanson, 2024). This figure is based on an average investment scenario (Hanson, 2024).........

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