College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences’ students, faculty and staff gathered for a time to celebrate the start of the fall semester and the academic year. CPHS Dean Dr. Michael L Adams presided and explained the importance of this event: “This year is special as we have paired our annual Convocation Ceremony with the celebration of our scholarships and awards.”
Student remarks are always a highlight of CPHS events, and this year was no different. Holden Cox (’23 DPT Candidate) spoke about not doubting yourself and Justine Danielson (’23 MPAP Candidate) addressed servant leadership. Watch both of their speeches in the recording of the ceremony.
The ceremony transitioned to recognize the academic accomplishments of the students, the leadership of several alumni, and generous contributions of donors. This year CPHS awarded approximately $1.9 million in scholarship funds across all its programs. Students through a video and through speeches by Sydney Davis (’23 PharmD Candidate) and Colleen Bizieff (’23 BSN Candidate) provided personal reflections on receiving scholarships that helped them continue their education. Dr. Mark Moore, associate dean of Admissions & Student Affairs, recognized the donors and scholarship recipients having all present to stand and be honored. A full list of the scholarships and the recipients are in the ceremony program.
CPHS Alumni Board President Julia Niemi announced the creation of Emerging Leader Awards on behalf of the Alumni Association. These awards honor recent graduates of each of the CPHS departments who exemplify excellence in their profession and in their community. The first recipients of this new award are:
| Laura D. Blanchard, MPAP | Physician Assistant Practice |
| Erin N. Brown, MS | Public Health |
| Brent R. Crutchfield, BSN | Nursing |
| Crystal Meadows, BS | Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences |
| Daniel Stoot, DPT | Physical Therapy |
| Cornelius Toliver, PharmD | Pharmacy |
