SUMMER GRADUATION CEREMONIES END TONIGHT

Stacie McFadden realizes she and her fellow classmates will be walking into history when they graduate tonight from Southeast Missouri State University.

The 7 p.m. ceremony at the Show Me Center will mark the final summer commencement exercise for undergraduates at Southeast. It ends a tradition that dates back to at least the 1920s and has been done annually since 1957.

"I think it is kind of neat because it is kind of a milestone," said McFadden, a Festus resident who is graduating with a general-studies degree.

"It is important for me to go through the ceremony," said McFadden, who drove from Festus Thursday to pick up her cap and gown.

She and other graduates said eliminating the August commencement could prove an inconvenience to future graduates who finish classes in the summer.

This summer's graduating class consists of 181 undergraduate and 77 graduate students. Only about 150 undergraduates are expected to attend the ceremony.

School officials announced this year that summer commencement for undergraduates would be eliminated beginning in 1995. The reason: too few students to justify all the work involved in putting on a full-scale graduation ceremony.

Beginning next year, undergraduates, who won't finish their academic work until the summer, will be allowed to participate in either the spring or fall commencement.

The school will continue holding a summer graduation ceremony for graduate students, but the annual event will be moved from the Show Me Center to Academic Auditorium.

"I don't think the graduate students will notice a difference except it will be in a different place," said Sheila Caskey, dean of graduate studies and extended learning.

Caskey said that while relatively few undergraduates receive their diplomas in August, the majority of the school's graduate students typically finish their degree work in the summer.

On average, about 80 students obtain graduate degrees each summer, compared to 30 or 40 in the fall or spring semesters.

Typically, only about 250 undergraduates receive their diplomas at summer commencement, far fewer than at the May or December commencements.

Commencement preparations involve a lot of time and effort on the part of university staff and faculty. Those preparations include everything from selecting a speaker to setting up the stage and the arena-floor chairs at the Show Me Center.

August also is a busy time for university faculty and staff as they prepare for the start of the fall semester.

A recent survey by the university showed that few schools hold three graduation ceremonies in a single academic year.

For years, Southeast had only a spring commencement. A summer commencement was later added. The fall commencement wasn't added until 1972.

Julie Grueneberg, assistant registrar, has mixed feelings about discontinuing summer commencement. "It is an important event for the students," she said. "In a way, I kind of hate to see it go. On the other hand, you have to be practical."