Newton-John, Barry Manilow, John Dean, George Plimpton, the Black Watch, the Beach Boys, and Ezra Taft Benson. The Stewart Lecture Series at the Stewart Library brought noted speakers and artists to Weber. Picnics and other activities around the colleges duck pond retention basin were often spontaneous during good weather, and were sometimes planned as was Sunfest. During each summer, a fireworks display accompanied an appearance by the Utah Symphony Orchestra which was centered near the Lindquist Plaza and provided entertainment and recreation for thousands of area residents. One of the strengths of Webers academic program was the success rate of students applying for admission to medical and dental schools. David S. Havertz, professor of zoology, noted that during some years the success rate of student applicants who were accepted to professional schools was over 60. The Natural Science Museum continued to be developed including the addition of a plaster cast of the skeleton of a dimetrodon in 1978, and other animal skeletons and exhibits over the next decade. The Teacher Corps program which had as its objective to seek better ways to meet the needs of children in low-income areas was directed by Luan H. Ferrin, professor of elementary education. The Teacher Corps was a cooperative program between Weber State College, Utah State University, and the Ogden School District. Student interns from the Political Science department served in state, local, and national internships. Webers evening and off campus program was expanded, particularly in the number and breadth of classes offered at Hill Air Force Base. Classes from the School of Allied Health Sciences, the School of Education, the Logistics program, and the department of Criminal Justice were offered at sites across the state, and in some cases outside the state. Special efforts continued to be made in the recruitment of students including veterans and non-traditional students. In order to ascertain the quality of education, the Board of Regents mandated a five-year review of all programs. Addition and deletion of programs required regents approval. Weber student body presidents Bryan Steele, Richard Southwick, and Brad Howell served as student members of the Board of Regents. Steele during the 1980-1981 school year, Southwick during 1982-1983, and Howell during 1984-1985. During the Fall of 1980 a plus and minus grading system was begun on campus as a way for faculty members to be more discriminating in making decisions about grades. In December of 1978, a decision was made which changed a nearly ninety-year tradition at Weber to combine the baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies beginning with the 1979 graduation. Commencement in 1979 not only saw the former two ceremonies combined, but was also the first to be held in the Dee Events Center, and the first to see masters degrees in education conferred. During the Spring of 1979 it was announced that those to be honored at the June 1, 1979 Commencement with honorary doctorates were civil rights leader Jesse Jackson of Chicago, businessman Harold W. Ritchey, and retired forest service and Weber College professor, A. Russell Croft. Jackson was unable to attend the commencement ceremonies because of health problems. Thirteen hundred students graduated in this Stewart Bell Tower looking East