Why has Jeb Bush's college graduation year been omitted by the media for at least 30 years now?

[alcibiades_mystery]

50. Yup, many people do the same

(Winter graduations tend to be smaller - a lot of folks want the big deal Spring graduation ceremony).

The logistics, from the University's point of view, are clear: you file for degree conferral for the session (quarter, semester, summer session) during which you complete your degree requirements. That's the actual degree-granting mechanism, like the county clerk issuing a marriage license is the actual marriage-certifying mechanism. The graduation ceremony need not be linked with the conferral date, just as you don't have to have your wedding ceremony on the same day that you get your marriage certified.

The OP seems to be completely confusing these separate events: conferral and commencement ceremony. If UT offered summer classes in 1974, then it's completely plausible to have an August 1974 conferral date, even if the school held no graduation ceremonies for the Summer session graduates. Most would be expected to "walk" in the Winter ceremony or even the following Spring. Some schools will even let you walk in the PREVIOUS Spring ceremony if your remaining requirements fall below a specific threshold that you're sure to satisfy in the summer courses.

Hell, most schools don't even give you your actual diploma at the Spring ceremonies: you get an empty case or a letter, and your diploma arrives in the mail weeks later.