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671
Students To Graduate from UAMS in Class of 2002 05-17-02
(Little Rock) The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas System
and the academic officers of the University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences (UAMS) will perform one of their most delightful duties this
Saturday, May 18. At 3
p.m. in Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, the leaders of the university
will bestow academic degrees upon the 671 graduates of the class of
2002. To
these students, it is the end of the beginning of their professional
lives as physicians, pharmacists, nurses, allied health specialists,
and scientists. It is also the beginning of a life-long quest of
knowledge and pursuit of skills for proficiency in their chosen
disciplines within the health-care field. To their parents, it is the
culmination of a dream and a plan that began many years ago; perhaps
with their hopeful youngster announcing, “When I grow up, I want to
be a doctor.” To their teachers and mentors, the ceremony is the
culmination of a process of professional growth as a former student
becomes a future colleague. The
candidates will graduate from the five units of this specialized
university within the University of Arkansas System — the Colleges
of Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Health Related Professions, and the
Graduate School. Next
year at this time, UAMS will include a sixth academic program in the
ceremony when the first graduates of the new College of Public Health
on the campus will approach graduation. Founded
in Little Rock as a proprietary medical training program founded by
eight faculty physicians, what would ultimately become UAMS held its
first graduation in the spring of 1880.
The 2002 commencement represents the 123rd graduation ceremony
conducted by the institution, which for about 70 years was a Medical
Department – then a Medical School – and then a College of
Medicine. In the 1950s,
other educational programs in health fields were added. A
special highlight of the ceremony will be a presentation of the
Chancellor’s Award from UAMS Chancellor, I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., to
two outstanding Arkansas leaders, Betty A. Lowe, M.D., and Jack
Stephens, LL.D. This
prestigious award is presented to honor someone for
distinguished achievements in the science and art of healing through
medical practice, teaching, research, or health-related community
service or to recognize someone whose generosity through philanthropy
has extended the capability of UAMS to serve the people of this state,
the region, and the world. “The
graduates will be the ‘stars’ of this event,” said Dr. Wilson.
“At UAMS, knowledge creates better medicine – and
outstanding faculty members, preceptors, and exemplars of the art and
science of healing guide our students toward personal fulfillment of a
lifelong dream and realization of their professional aspiration.” E.
Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., Dean of the College of Medicine,
acknowledged that medical school isn’t easy – it’s not supposed
to be. Patients and their
families entrust their lives to those who choose to enter this
demanding yet rewarding field. Many
of the 141 M.D. graduates have chosen to enter primary care fields.
In Arkansas, that’s where the need is often the greatest. Larry D. Milne, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Pharmacy, the faculty, and the students celebrated the 50th anniversary of the college in the 2001-02 academic year. Dr. Milne recently announced his acceptance of the position of Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research Administration at UAMS. “It’s a good time to shift gears,” he said with a glow of satisfaction from shaping the destiny of pharmacy education in Arkansas for the past two-and-a-half decades. Seventy-two graduates will receive their Pharm.D. degree. The
College of Nursing will grant 116 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.),
degrees to its graduates. These nurses – and those to follow in
future years – will help alleviate the nursing shortage in Arkansas
and elsewhere. The Ph.D.
program in nursing at UAMS is the only one of its kind in the state
and is a career escalator for nurses who aspire to become future nurse
leaders, educators, and researchers. The College of Health Related Professions at UAMS is most diverse of the five colleges; with 15 professional disciplines offering various degrees and internships. It is also the largest college at UAMS in numbers with 227 graduates in the class from all programs. “Many of the programs, such as Medical Technology, Radiologic Technology, Dental Hygiene, and others are well established,” said Ronald H. Winters, Ph.D., dean of the college, “but we have also recently added new programs in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ultrasound) and Ophthalmic (eye) Medical Technology.” Graduates of the college are in great demand at hospitals, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, clinics and other health-care facilities. Hospitals could not operate without these allied health professionals who often work behind the scenes in laboratories, operating rooms, and therapy centers. The
Graduate School will present 115 Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in 12
academic areas. The graduates of these programs will include 47 Master
of Science, 49 Master of Nursing Science, and 19 Ph.D. degree
recipients. “These graduates will enter a variety of careers,
ranging from positions in health care, college and university
education, or research in the academic and industrial sectors. Our
M.S., M.N.Sc., and Ph.D. graduates are well prepared to meet an
expanding array of opportunities,” explained Richard H. Kennedy,
Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School. The
College of Public Health at UAMS is the newest educational entity on
the campus. Established with funds from the Arkansas Tobacco
Settlement, the college enrolled its first class of students in
January 2002. These
students are on track for graduation in mid-May, 2003. # # # Other Resources on the Web 1) Profiles of five selected student leaders; one from each college: Medicine
David Jones 2) Rosters of the graduates of each college, with hometowns cited. Medicine 3)
Photos of graduates in all colleges are available to news
organizations FREE as 4)
Generic photos of UAMS graduation from 2001 (high res) #
# # PR
Contact: 03/30/07 |
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