Nearly 1,000 people assembled Sunday to support and celebrate the achievements of their sons, daughters and friends in the University Union Ballroom.

The Fourth Annual Honors Convocation, commemorated 47 seniors graduating with honors. The students were chosen by their departments for their leadership, academic achievements and contributions to campus life,

President Donald Gerth?s introduction was preceded by a five-minute history of his accomplishments that even he said was too lengthy.

“The first thing we?ll have to do tomorrow morning is shorten that up a little … although I do appreciate the comments,” Gerth said.

The focus of Gerth?s speech was the opportunity for graduating students to make a positive impact on society.

Gerth spoke about the students being honored at the ceremony and their knowledge and ability.

“One of the marks of an educated person is an understanding of the whole of things, as well as the detail. It is amazing what you can learn from students preparing to graduate,” Gerth said. ” We hope that we not only hear about you, but from you in the years to follow.”

The Sacramento State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, led by Music professor Robert Halseth, then performed a number of pieces for the audience, including one that was composed by a music student being honored during the ceremony.

“This next one is so new, it was not yet titled when the programs were to be printed. It is by our own Michael Dale and has since been titled. Its name is ?The Definition of Blue,?” Halseth said.

The concert consisted of five pieces and lasted almost an hour.

After the orchestra finished, the deans of the various colleges presented their awards.

The recipients were chosen due to their performance in a variety of areas including academic success and involvement with various organizations, both on campus and in the community.Some of the students spent their entire college career at Sac State, while others transferred from other universities or community colleges.

Other honorees interrupted their educational careers to start a family or focus on a job.However, as the deans read short profiles of each individual student, all of the graduates had long lists of accomplishments to validate their awards.

A total of 47 students were commemorated, but one student was given special recognition.Courtney Fea, a Summa Cum Laude graduate in Psychology, was awarded the outstanding senior award for her work in and out of the classroom.

Fea was unable to attend the ceremony, so her parents received the award on her behalf.

“Courtney will be very surprised about this. She is looking forward to the rest of her career and hopefully a Ph.D.,” Fea?s father said.

A reception for the students and their guests was held immediately following the convocation.