Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday! 

As the old Christmas song says and I modify,

It’s the most wonderful time of the (academic) year
With new grads graduating
And everyone celebrating
It’s the most wonderful time of the (academic) year

Last week we held three graduation ceremonies, and in total for the academic year, we awarded 1,320 bachelor's degrees, 260 master's degrees and 73 doctoral degrees. Sen. Roy Blunt, Dr. Ellis Short and Dr. Casey Burton delivered our commencement speeches to our new graduates and to thousands of their excited and eager family members. The deeply felt gratitude of our graduates toward their family and friends was evidenced from the hugs, the smiles and the tears. They looked proud and confident of how much more capable they have become. After all, they have gone the distance and achieved arguably the most enabling milestone of their lives. It was truly the most wonderful time of the year.

And now that the graduates have crossed the commencement stage and walked into their professional lives, the home team here on campus feels a sense of accomplishment. A sense that another successful year produced nearly 1,700 graduates who will go out into the world and contribute to the greater good.

Not surprisingly, the effort to prepare for the upcoming year is already underway. I see our office staff filing and archiving, our physical plant staff performing all the work in the labs, classrooms and residence halls now that they are vacated, our groundskeepers manicuring the campus grounds, gardens and landscaping, and staff at all levels preparing for summer classes, summer camps and the ongoing business of the university.

To celebrate the contributions of our dedicated staff, I invite our campus community to participate in Staff Appreciation Day next Wednesday, May 25. This will be the first time since 2019 that this event will be held in person and you don’t want to miss it! Staff Council members have worked hard to line up a fun day filled with food, games and prizes. You can even participate in a bean bag toss tournament, and I’ll play the overall winner.

To our ever-present, attentive, supportive staff, THANK YOU! And may you have a wonderful summer season. I hope you take some time to relax with family and friends.

Warmly,

-Mo.

Share your thoughts!

Check out the plans of recent S&T graduates:

• Jack Fletcher: Riding the wave of nuclear fusion
• Maya Washington: Researching for public health
• Michael Carlson: Joining the U.S. Space Force

Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu