Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
It’s been quite a week at Salus! This was a week of celebration and acknowledgement of the hard-earned accomplishments of all of our graduates. I’d like to congratulate all of them. I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank Dr. Jim Caldwell, Ms. Shannon Boss, Ms. Alexis Abate, Mr. Rick Echevarria, Mr. Carlos Rodriguez, and their staffs for taking the lead on our drive-in and virtual commencement ceremonies, ensuring every detail was covered.
Commencement week began with our Graduate Recognition in-person drive-in ceremonies Tuesday and Wednesday, May 25-26, followed by our virtual ceremony Thursday. You can view the Graduate Recognition ceremony on our website here. It was so much fun to meet and greet graduates and their families as they drove up to our stage to receive their diplomas. While it was a bit warm on Wednesday, I don’t believe anyone missed a beat as we celebrated with our grads! The virtual ceremony, which is also on our website, featured two outstanding honorees, our keynote speaker, Congresswomen Madeleine Dean and our honorary degree recipient, Mr. Robert Horne. We also heard from our student representative, Dr. Gina Roslynn Lerner (AuD,21), who observed how prepared all of her classmates will be to take on today’s challenging healthcare environment due to the fact that they trained during a global pandemic. All of our speakers had extremely thoughtful and insightful messages for everyone. You can read more about some of the graduates we’ve highlighted on our website:
— Tessa Ives OD '21 had decided to become an optometrist while growing up watching her father, Paul Ives, OD ‘83, who influenced her career choice. Read more about the Ives family legacy at salus.edu/IvesFamily, which started with Louis Ives, OD ‘43, who entered what was then called the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (PSCO) in 1939.
— Gabrielle Murphey OD '21 always knew she wanted to join the military. She graduated this week with her Doctor of Optometry degree and upon graduation — as a recipient of The F. Edward Hébert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) — Murphey will be promoted to the rank of captain and assigned to active duty in the United States Army. Read more about her journey here.
CONGRATULATIONS TO JO SURPIN: This week, during the quarterly meeting of our Board of Trustees, the Board recognized the outstanding service of our Board Chair, Ms. Jo Surpin, who will be turning over the reins of the Salus Board to Ms. Rebecca Delia this July. During Thursday’s Board meeting, Jo received a Resolution of Commendation noting that "she was voted on to the Board of Trustees in January 1995 and has conscientiously and diligently served the University for over 26 years". During her tenure on the Board, Ms. Surpin has been a member and actively participated in various board committees, holding the positions of First Vice Chair, Treasurer, Chair of the Finance Committee, and member of The Eye Institute committee. Notably, Jo was the first female in the institution’s history to hold the position of Chair, a position she ascended to in 2007. Happily, Jo will remain on the board, continuing to serve Salus following her turnover in July.
FINAL THOUGHTS: As we approach Memorial Day, I think it’s important to remember that throughout our history, starting with the American Revolution, through the horrible devastation of the Civil War, through World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and today those still in Afghanistan and other places, more than a million American Servicemembers have made the ultimate sacrifice to help secure the blessings of liberty for our country and our allies globally.
I ask you all to pause and remember those who gave their last measure of full devotion so we could enjoy ceremonies like we did this week and all those other freedoms our democracy enables. Memorial Day is not just about sales and a long weekend. With our fast and busy lifestyles, many traditions have been lost over the years that help to remind us of this truly important Day of Remembrance. Originally established in 1868, Memorial Day serves as a day to remember those that died while serving our nation. To that end, please take a moment to remember those brave and honorable women and men who gave their lives so we all could be free and if you know a person serving on Active Duty or is a Veteran, please thank them for their service.
Have a great weekend. Stay safe, keep up your social distancing and if you’re not already vaccinated, take the time to get that done now!
Be safe, have fun, get some rest and remain SALUS STRONG! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR GRADUATES AND THEIR FAMILIES!
Mike
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