Campbell President Jerry Wallace addresses the DPT class of 2017.
BUIES CREEK — Forty of Campbell University’s newest students arrived on campus Monday, Jan. 5, to begin orientation for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. This class is the second cohort of student physical therapists for Campbell and will begin classes immediately following the one-day orientation.
Orientation included an overview of life in Buies Creek and meetings with key figures on campus, including Jerry Wallace, president of the university, and Michael L. Adams, dean of the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS).
“Congratulations on earning your seat in the second class of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program,” Wallace said. “It was highly competitive and shows that your hard work and diligent studies paid off. While you are here, I hope you embrace the atmosphere of interprofessional education. We believe the patient is best served when the patient gets the best service, and the best service is born through the collaboration of health care professionals.”
Wallace also shared with the class that their first day on campus marked the 128th birthday of the university. On Jan. 5, 1887, J.A. Campbell gave the first lecture in Buies Creek Academy’s history to the 16 students enrolled at the time. Now Campbell University enrolls approximately 6,000 students each year, including nearly 800 undergraduate and graduate students affiliated with CPHS.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy program is offered through CPHS and prepares students to become licensed physical therapists through both clinical and didactic instruction in three years. It boasts an evidence-supported curriculum centered on the patient and clinical practice in rural healthcare. The newly enrolled class of 2017 is comprised of forty students with undergraduate degrees in Biology, Psychology, Athletic Training, Exercise Science, Public Health, Kinesiology, and Chemistry.
For more information about the program, visit its website.