Commencement and Reunions by the Numbers

September 8, 2006

Bachelor’s degrees awarded: 1,129

Master’s degrees awarded: 1,457

Doctorates awarded: 602

Engineer’s degrees awarded: 10

Degree certificates awarded,

in square meters: 224.25

Caps, some tossed into air: 3,198

Guests, some wondering whether graduates will move back home: 10,000

Staff and students who showed up at 6:30 a.m. to volunteer for commencement: 250

Temperature in Killian Court: 291.5 K

Plastic raincoats kept on reserve: 13,000

Precipitation: 0 mm

Workers who engineered the stage: 20

Engineers who qualified to walk across the stage: 1,613

50th-reunion alumni, all wearing red coats, who led graduates to Killian Court: 178

British Redcoats who marched through Lexington, MA, to raid colonists’ military stores in Concord in 1775 : 700

Alumni and guests who returned for Tech Reunions : 3,357

Record-setting percentage of the Class of 2006 contributing to the Senior Gift: 51

Record-setting percentage of the Class of 1966 contributing to 40th-Reunion Gift: 75

2006 Alumni Fund total: $35,937,535

Year with highest Alumni Fund total: 2006