NATCHEZ &045; Alcorn State University graduated hundreds of students in a Saturday ceremony at Jack Spinks Stadium, the largest class ever to graduate from the 134-year-old historically black university.

Moreover, more than 50 percent of bachelor’s graduates are going to graduate or professional schools &045; in keeping with Alcorn’s goal of getting as many as students to attend such schools as possible.

And that’s at a university that has already received national recognition in the Washington Post as having one of the highest graduation and retention rates in the nation.

One key, said future Department of Agriculture economist David Taylor of Heidelburg, is the supportive faculty and staff. &uot;There’s no other place (with students and faculty) as close as they are here,&uot; said Taylor, who will attend graduate school at the University of Maryland.

While Alcorn graduates have distinguished themselves, it’s even more important for them to work to give today’s young children more and better educational opportunities, said keynote speaker and former governor Ray Mabus.

&uot;You have a responsibility to others,&uot; Mabus said. What matters, he added, &uot;is how you respond to all those who have been left out and left without. Š You beat the odds &045; now help the next generation.&uot;

Mabus said part of that responsibility is to push for more public funds to be allocated for education. &uot;Demand more from those in public office,&uot; he said.

He said must become the state’s top funding priority if the state’s graduates are to make it in an increasingly competitive global economy.

&uot;When people say we can’t afford better education,&uot; he said, &uot;I tell them to look into the eyes of a 5-year-old and tell them, ‘You’re not important enough.’&uot;

Mabus also called on graduates and the supporters who streamed into the stadium Saturday morning to fight against racial prejudice, which he said shows signs of gaining a foothold again.

Other highlights of the commencement included recognition of the Class of 1955’s 50th graduation anniversary and the naming of Dr. Robert L. Prater as Alcornite of the Year.

Prater, a Wilkinson County native and active Alcorn Class of 1953 alum, served as dean of Alcorn’s School of Technology for 22 years.

Prater was largely responsible for gaining accreditation for the university’s industrial and engineering technology programs and landing a federal grant to establish Alcorn’s Cooperative Extension Program.

Earlier, Alcorn President Dr. Clinton Bristow told graduates that if the past and their own performance is any indication, they should go far in fields ranging from political office to business.

&uot;At Alcorn State University, ASU equals CEO,&uot; Bristow said to applause.

Niyoshi Queen of Fayette stood with her head held high before she marched into the stadium.

But she displayed a wistful smile as she talked about the school she will return to as a graduate student, but never an undergraduate again.

&uot;The staff and faculty are so supportive,&uot; said Queen, who plans to become a USDA food inspector. &uot;We’re like family out here &045; we depend on one another.&uot;

Inside the stadium, crowds waited for Queen and her classmates to enter so they could give them long-awaited congratulations.

And, in the case of siblings LaToya Ragan and Fred Ragan of Edwards, balloons for graduate Ruby Thomas.

What would they tell her after she marched to get her diploma? &uot;Congratulations, Mom!&uot; LaToya Ragan said.