Chancellor Michael F. Collins reflects on the early graduation for the School of Medicine Class of 2020 in a video address taped on Monday, April 6.
“On Tuesday, March 31, we became the first medical school in America to graduate its fourth-year class so that our new graduates could join the front lines in caring for those affected by the pandemic,” Chancellor Collins said. “This decision weighed heavily on me as I knew that many of our graduates would accept the responsibility to care for those in need, and thus, put themselves in positions to confront the virus. In considering this decision, I realized that many of our learners in the Graduate School of Nursing are already at the front lines caring for patients. Our new medical graduates would join their nursing colleagues and others in our noble professions and put others above themselves.”