Onward and upward

Friday, May 16, 2025

Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday! And congratulations to our graduates.

Over 3 million college students will graduate across the U.S. this month, and exactly 1,338 of them are ours here at S&T. The honorable Gov. Mike Parson, our 57th governor, will usher in our commencement celebrations, and Dr. Nadine Alameh, the executive director of the Taylor Geospatial Institute, will be the doctoral commencement speaker.

So, to our graduates, I say, I am really looking forward to greeting you as you walk across the stage, and I am delighted to see your families and friends who are proud of your ambition and endurance to complete your journey from S&T students to now Miner alumni.

The average starting salary for S&T's bachelor’s degrees is over $74,000, master’s degrees over $82,000 and our doctoral graduates fetch nearly $100,000 for their starting salaries. In fact, S&T’s average starting salaries are the highest in the state of Missouri and among the highest in the nation. Further, with an average student loan debt of less than $30,000, our students’ return on investment (ROI) is among the top 10 in the nation.

What happens after graduation? Regardless of how talented, hardworking and persuasive one might be, we all need help if we are to achieve tasks bigger than ourselves and make critical contributions to critical global challenges. In other words, our ability to connect with others is essential, and our network of friends, colleagues and acquaintances can help us make key connections. As graduates, you have already established an expandable network of your college friends, professors, project teammates, Greek brothers and sisters, and more. These networks will prove to be golden over the years. As important is expanding your network to include our alumni and members of our academies, with whom you have years of common, albeit time-scattered, experiences. Fortunately, alumni networking will be available to you immediately upon graduation through your membership in the Miner Alumni Association.

I also find that the key to our alumni success has been remaining a student! Being a keen observer and seeker of truth. They learned that wisdom is acknowledging that they don’t have all the answers, and that learning requires seeking answers. Understandably, the most successful have been those who sought to understand the needs of others and helped their colleagues achieve their goals. And in the process, they were elevated by others and achieved their own aspirations. They understood the value of teamwork and cultivating goodwill. As the old African proverb says, if you want to walk fast, walk alone; if you want to walk far, walk with others.

Finally, don’t forget your alma mater and all the people who nurtured and nourished you on your way to success. Your family, friends and professors who kept you on the straight and narrow path to graduation and to your careers of success. We all are proud of you and are confident that the future is in your able hands.

To all graduates, I say, onward and upward and, for now, enjoy the moment before it becomes a fond memory.

Warmly,

-Mo.

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

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