CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES

'Tis the graduation season, and several hundred undergraduates and graduates will be honored in ceremonies today at Southeast Missouri State University.

For many, today is the culmination of a process that began in kindergarten. Not every one of today's graduates completed this process without taking time off for jobs or raising a family. More and more students these days are older and are looking for the benefits of advanced training and preparation.

For others involved in today's ceremonies, there is more education to come: advanced degrees, professional training and the like.

What each graduate no doubt understands is that education is a never-ending process. Although the formal classes, paying tuition and taking exams may be over for some, learning continues. In this fast-paced age, anyone who avoids learning will be left in the dust of advanced technology that affects virtually every facet of life.

To all the graduates who now embark on the next stage of life: Hearty congratulations and best wishes.