News Releases
Convocation 2011 (View Slideshow)
June 26, 2011
The School of Nursing graduated the largest class of nurses in the state—and possibly the largest in the nation—at its annual Convocation ceremony held May 20 at 1st Mariner Arena. The 626 graduates included 299 Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 302 Master of Science, 15 Doctor of Nursing Practice, and 10 PhD graduates.
Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing, welcomed graduates, family members, faculty, and friends and extended remarks to the graduates.
Pamela S. Hinds, PhD, RN, FAAN, director, department of nursing research and quality outcomes, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, D.C., and a professor of pediatrics at George Washington University, delivered the Convocation Address.
Her message was about three words that “describe us as nurses and the nature of our nursing practice. These three words are ‘ordinary,’ ‘extraordinary,’ and ‘miracle.’“
“‘Ordinary,’ she said, sounds like a small word, but may be the largest explanatory factor for all the good that happens when we, as nurses, give care to another person. It is through ‘ordinary’ that the other two words—‘extraordinary’ and ‘miracle’ come to be.”
Hinds cited examples of how the three words related to different experiences she has had in her practice as a nurse and nurse researcher working with children and adolescents who have incurable cancers.
Later in the day, School of Nursing graduates participated in the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Commencement ceremony at 1st Mariner Arena, where Jay A. Perman, MD, president of UMB, delivered the Commencement address. Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRNC, Claire M. Fagin Leadership Professor in Nursing, professor of sociology, and director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania, received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree.
