This is normally one of my favorite – if not my favorite – days of the year. The day we recognize and celebrate our graduating students for all the work they have done in their academic careers, culminating in Commencement.
As we announced some time ago, we are not having Commencement this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not what we had planned. I have said this several times this spring in a number of settings, but certainly to our students, this year has not happened in the way we had planned and hoped. I am so sorry that we have not been able to hold all of the events to celebrate your achievements and milestones.
To the entire student body, but particularly to our 901 graduates, I am so proud of you. On behalf of the Medical Center faculty, it has been a great privilege to walk beside you on your journey.
Months ago I could not have imagined anything powerful enough to cancel our Commencement ceremony. I enjoy the pomp and circumstance that go along with our traditions. It is wonderful to see the happy faces of our students and the joy and pride that is so evident in their family and friends. The disappointment of missing these traditional events is felt by many more people than simply the members of the graduating class. Ceremonies are an important part of your journey. They provide the moment to pause for a second and realize the daily challenges have been worth it. I am so saddened for all of us that the pandemic has changed the way we have to express our joy and pride.
As students who have experienced the pandemic, my message to you is: Health care is forever changed. You have lived through a crash course in disaster medicine. I don’t know what the landscape will look like when this passes, but I know it will be different. Life as we know it has changed. We will never again view the world through the same lens.
Graduates, you will forever be the Class of 2020 – you are now a living part of history. This is an extraordinary time.
There are four bits of advice I would have shared with you at today’s ceremony:
Today is a milestone. But it is not the end. In fact, this is only the beginning of your learning process. As you go forward, you will learn from one another AND you will learn from the greatest teachers of all – the patients.
You will make choices every day that will impact others in a significant way. Deal with others and those you serve with a deep respect for our differences. Choose respect. Choose kindness. Choose courage.
Our nation will continue to struggle with ways to care for the sick. I challenge every one of you to be a part of the solution to this struggle. In all things, leave it better than you found it.
You will never practice any health profession well if you don’t have a good time doing it. The work before you is HARD. It is important. It is HEAVY. AND it is rewarding and worth doing. Remember the excitement, the spirit, the passion you have today. Look for the JOY. Have a good time.
At a certain point in the Commencement program I ask the candidates for degrees to stand and I say to the Chancellor, “I have the honor to present these candidates who have been recommended by their deans for the degrees they receive today.” While I can’t say those words on the stage this year, know that I am honored and humbled to be your Vice Chancellor and am wishing each and every one of you the very best for future success.
We know that Mississippians are resilient and resourceful. We have faced many challenges in the past and will face this pandemic the same way. We will persevere. We will take care of each other. I have been inspired by you as you have sought paths to volunteer and contribute in meaningful ways.
Graduates, I am proud of you and all that you have accomplished. Now, go out and put all that you have become to work in the service of others. But always remember, Mississippi needs you now more than ever. You continue to be an integral part of what it means to be #UMMCStrong.
To the entire student body, but particularly to our 901 graduates, I am so proud of you. On behalf of the Medical Center faculty, it has been a great privilege to walk beside you on your journey.