SUMMER COMMENCMENT IS OVER; COMMON SENSE PREVAILS

Southeast Missouri State University's summer commencement slipped from an annual exercise to a walk through nostalgia last week.

The change makes sense in terms of finance and numbers of undergraduates. But its passing deserves some notice.

The university will retain a scaled-down ceremony for graduate students only, since many of them complete their degrees in the summer.

Few universities still offer three commencements. Some have opted for just one. Southeast offered only a spring ceremony for years, adding the summer commencement in 1957 and the fall graduation in 1972.

Typically, about 250 students walk down the aisle each August, compared with 705 in the spring or 550 last December.

There has been no outcry from students or staff. The passing seems pragmatic.

In an operating budget of $55 million, the $3,000 saved seems minuscule. But a few thousand here and a few thousand there eventually adds up.