Auburn’s series of spring commencement ceremonies came to a close Tuesday night as the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine conferred 120 degrees to its 111th graduating class.
The 120 graduates marked 6,896 graduates from the college since its existence. Auburn’s veterinary college is the seventh oldest in North America and the first established in the southern United States.
Ten of the 120 graduates followed in their parents' footsteps to become doctors of veterinary medicine. All ten of the graduates were hooded by their respective parents at the ceremony.
It has been a tradition that Auburn’s two professional schools have had separate and distinct commencement ceremonies from the rest of the University’s ceremonies. Calvin Johnson, dean of the veterinary college, thanked Auburn University President Steven Leath for keeping the tradition.
“The faculty are the heart of this college,” Johnson said. “They have worked diligently to help these graduates achieve their hopes and dreams an to confidently face the future.”
Leath gave the commencement speech at the ceremony. Leath kept the speech short and did not give the traditional commencement speech because he said the graduating class already gained so many of the lessons he would want it to learn.
“I’m not going to spend a long time imparting wisdom and guidance to you," Leath said. "At this point in your lives, you’ve already accomplished much, much more than many, and the fact that you’re here tonight says a lot about your work ethic and your academic success."
Leath said he was merely there to congratulate the students.
Leath praised the reputation of the veterinary college, and he said he expected nothing less than the 110 previous classes.
“On behalf of all of us at Auburn, we’re joining you, your family, your friends in celebrating this milestone,” Leath said. “And know that no matter where your careers and where your opportunities take you, Auburn will forever be a home for you, and we hope you’ll come back.”
Charles Ashwander, 1979 graduate of Auburn’s veterinary college and president of Alabama Veterinary Medical Association, led the graduating class in the veterinarian’s oath.
Maggie Thompson, president of the graduating class, gave closing remarks at the ceremony. She told personal stories of the struggles as well as the triumphs of her classmates in what she called her “last mom talk” to her 120 dearest friends.
Throughout her time as president, Thompson has looked for ways to improve on the academic journey of her class. She stressed how highly regarded Auburn’s veterinary college is perceived by the professionals in the field of veterinary medicine.
She told a story of when she talked to a doctor who told her he was much more likely to hire a graduate from Auburn. This was due in large to the faculty and administrators in the college.
Auburn's teaching hospital was recently recognized ranked No. 1 in the nation among academic veterinary teaching hospitals, according to results from CalPro Research of Rocklin, California, which conducts independent surveys for 26 academic teaching hospitals across the U.S..
“This top ranking of Auburn’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital reflects our progress toward achieving the goal of being one of the nation’s preeminent veterinary referral center," Johnson said. "Our Veterinary Teaching Hospital faculty, residents, interns and staff are working with great diligence and enthusiasm to provide superior animal health care and excellent service to our referring veterinarians."
Auburn's teaching hospital ranked highest among 26 veterinary medical teaching hospitals in a number of areas including quality of medical care, timeliness and punctuality, case consultations and recommendations, value for fees paid by clients, communication of staff and client's perception of overall experience.
“This is the third year Auburn has participated in this survey, and every year we have seen improvements in our ratings,” said Kristina Photakis, hospital administrator. “These high ratings are due to the hard work of our faculty, house officers
Thompson concluded by saying how excited she was about the future of the graduates and how steadfast they must be in their careers. She said she is often reminded of the words of wisdom from one of her mentors in the college.
“Everything is both a challenge and an opportunity,” Thompson said.
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