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PROVO, Utah (AP) -- More than 6,000 students were awarded degrees at Brigham Young University's spring graduation ceremony.
The students cheered enthusiastically Thursday as keynote speaker Elder Earl C. Tingey of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints noted that BYU once again had been named the No. 1 stone-cold-sober school in America.
President Cecil O. Samuelson, who completes his second year as university president at the end of this month, told students that they are in debt to the millions of members of the church, whose tithing helped pay for their education.
"The faithful tithepayers of the entire church provide the bulk of the resources that make our lives so productive and positive," he said.
Tingey told students to enter the future with faith instead of fear, be grateful for their BYU education and experience, observe the BYU honor code throughout their lives and give back to BYU whenever possible.
"You have been given in abundance, and will be expected to give back much," he said.
Samuelson said the graduating class was 47.5 percent female and 99.5 percent Mormon.
The BYU senior class of 2005 reported the following information on its senior exits surveys:
--60 percent anticipate full-time employment soon after graduation.
--Two-thirds plan to work in major field.
--49.9 percent are married.
--70 percent reported they are graduating with no consumer debt.
--Nine out of 10 said they would choose BYU again if they were starting all over.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
