With Age Comes Wisdom. Just Ask These Grads

Below is a listing of the ages of actual University of Cincinnati graduates receiving their diplomas.

• A 49-year-old earning a law degree 
• A 59-year-old earning a baccalaureate degree in business 
• A 61-year-old earning an associate’s degree in human social services technology 
• A 67-year-old earning a doctoral degree in education
• A 71-year-old earning a master’s degree in social work

These graduates might seem oddly old to some, but they represent the future. That’s because college graduates in the United States are increasingly likely to be mature adults. After all, few career paths are linear anymore, and adults aged 25 and over now account for more than a third of those enrolled at degree-granting institutions, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And enrollment is expected to increase 13 percent among 25- to 29-year-olds and 23 percent among 30- to 34-year-olds by 2014.

Statistics at UC reflect these national trends. At the university, the average age of a part-time student is 32. The average age of all UC students is 25.3, and the average age of a participant in UC’s June 9 commencement is 27.5.

Meet some of UC’s older graduates

At 71, This Grad Is UC’s Oldest and Seeking to Become "More Marketable"

Yvonne Myrick, 71,

has successively earned an associate’s degree (1998), a bachelor’s degree (2002), and now her Master in

Social Work

(2007), and she’s not stopping there. “I plan to be back in September taking more classes in American Sign Language. I’ve already had three years of sign-language classes, but I want to do even more because I want to work in the deaf community, and I need an edge to be marketable. I’d also like to study Spanish and Arabic,” said Myrick who currently works part time at a domestic-violence shelter. She joked, “I guess I’ll keep going to school till they’re carrying me across campus or pushing me in a wheelchair.”

Myrick first began taking courses in the late 1984, but after her retirement in 1997, was able to work seriously toward a degree rather than continue to take classes without a specific direction. She explained, “When I retired, I sat down with an advisor who let me know I was pretty close to an associate’s degree, and that’s when I began taking classes in earnest. And UC has been great for me because there’s such a mix of cultures and now, of ages in the classroom.”

Because of family and work responsibilities earlier in life, Myrick had never been able to pursue her education till late in life. "Once I retired and had the chance, I knew I'd regret it if I didn't go to school. Now, I have no regrets in my life," she said.

With her new degrees, Myrick stated that her main goal is to give back to the community: "I really like the field of social work. The more I've learned, the more I've wanted to learn."

Marching Twice in One Day: Once at UC and to celebrate 50th Anniversary of High School Degree

Warren R. Foster, 67, of Avondale is planning to march in the June 9 All-University Commencement Ceremony on the same day he marches with the Wyoming High School Class of 2007 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his high school graduation. At age 67, Foster is among the older graduates of the UC Class of 2007, with the oldest being 71.

A graduate of the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, Foster will first attend UC’s doctoral hooding ceremony at 1 p.m., Friday, June 8, in Fifth Third Arena, where he will be awarded his EdD in urban educational leadership. He’ll then march in the university’s 2:30 p.m. general ceremonies.

Foster says he became interested in the doctoral program in urban educational leadership because he wanted to help young people “recognize their potential and maximize their contributions to their families and society.” As part of his doctoral efforts his dissertation showed that a three-hour workshop can contribute to participant success by increasing their self-efficacy. Academic research suggests persons with higher self-efficacy not only have greater confidence in their ability to perform tasks taught in the workshop, but they will also exert more control over themselves, external situations, their goals and their strategies to obtain those goals.

Foster is looking forward to a weekend of college and high school celebrations with his family, UC and Wyoming peers and friends. He says, “Not too many people can do this in their lifetimes – to march in both their doctoral and 50th-year high school graduation ceremonies on the same day!”

Grandma Graduate Earns Degree to Set an Example for Grandkids

Patricia Rogers, 52,

is earning a Bachelor’s in Applied General Studies with a Focus in African American Studies and Management. On June 9, she’ll receive her diploma more than 25 years after she first sat down in a UC classroom in 1981. “For me, working on a degree was about self-fulfillment and being a good role model. I started taking classes when my two sons were very young. One son was in school and the other in daycare. I’d take a class or two and then go a while before taking more because I was working full-time and was a single mother. I didn’t always have the weekend time for doing homework. For a long time, I didn’t even have a car and had to rely on bus transportation which made it hard to attend night classes,” Rogers stated.

Starting in 1997, she began to buckle down and consistently enroll. In part, her grandchildren were her motivation. “I have a 17-year-old grandson and a one-month-old grandson as well as three granddaughters from ages 6 to 11. Education is important. My parents tried to make me go to college after high school, but I wanted a job. I do regret that now. I don’t want my grandchildren to make the same mistake. I want my grandchildren to stay in school, to know they can do it and go further,” explained Rogers, a 1972 graduate of Withrow High School

In her academic career, Rogers has sometimes surprised herself.  She’s taken computer and accounting classes that she, at first, only hoped to finish.  “We’ve had projects like building a Web page from scratch, doing all the coding. We’ve had 25-page papers on our management philosophy.  Getting it all done has always been hard work. But now that I’m graduating, it’s been well worth it,” said Rogers.

Picturing a Rosy Future

Terry Voorhees, 55,

first began taking classes at UC in the late 1970s but then interrupted her academic studies due to family responsibilities. That changed seven years ago when she started back to school to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She said, “I’d been drawing and painting since I was a child and have always dreamed of sharing the gift of painting with others. One thing I’ve noted was that my mentors who had art degrees were great teachers. I wanted to be a great teacher too, and that sent me back to school.”

Voorhees added that achieving her degree is a lifelong dream come true, one for which she is very grateful. “I’ve been very thankful for this opportunity and for the wonderful faculty and fellow students I’ve met along the way. I could not have accomplished what I have without the support of family, friends and also the support of my...'family' at the University of Cincinnati. I know I am and will be a better teacher because of their belief in me.”

New Possibilities
Starting in 2001, Colleen Wegman, 49, of Sardinia, Ohio, has made the one-way, one-hour trip from her home in Sardinia, Ohio, down to UC at least once a week and sometimes more in pursuit of her bachelor’s in chemical technology. And her long drive for achievement concludes on June 9 when she receives her diploma.

Wegman first earned an associate’s degree in 1978 but later stepped out from completing her baccalaureate degree in order to raise and home-school her three children. She then started back to school in 2001, took a break and really buckled down in 2003 at UC’s College of Applied Science. “The most challenging part is balancing school, work and home demands. My oldest daughter is an army nurse, and she’s been serving in Iraq for the past year,” she admitted.

But, now, stated Wegman, comes the best part: “The fulfillment of a goal I set a long time ago. I enjoy studying chemistry. That and the support I received from everyone – staff and fellow students – in the program mean a lot to me. It’s been a hard but very rewarding experience, and it means new possibilities for me.”

UC Commencement Web site