Commencement

College confers degrees at annual commencement ceremony

The College of Veterinary Medicine awarded doctor of veterinary medicine degrees to 90 students at its annual commencement ceremony at the Ted Mann Concert Hall on April 30. Ten PhD degrees, six DVM/MPH degrees, and four MS degrees were also awarded.

Dean Trevor Ames presented the opening remarks, commenting that “there is no more exciting time in the life of a university than the day we acknowledge our graduates who are set to launch their careers and to make their mark on society.”

Dr. Barbara Brandt, associate vice president, Academic Health Center, presented welcome remarks, and CVM alumnus Dr. Chand Khanna, director of the comparative oncology program at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research, gave the commencement address. Greg Closter gave the response for the class of 2011, addressing his classmates and reflecting on the past four years of college. Regent Dean Johnson conferred the degrees on the class, and Dr.Michael Hodgman, president of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, administered the veterinarian’s oath. Dr. Rick Goullaud, president of the College’s Alumni and Friends Society, made congratulatory remarks and welcomed the students into the alumni organization.

“Whether you choose a career in private or corporate practice, the military, government, environmental protection, public health, food safety, or higher education, you will have a profound effect on society,” said Dean Ames in his closing remarks. “Those who work at the interface of human and animal disease have never been more important.”