News Releases
University of Maryland School of Nursing Graduates State's Largest Class of Nurses (View Slideshow)
May 22, 2012
648 Graduates Receive Degrees
Baltimore, MD – Donned in academic regalia and wearing big smiles, the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s (UMSON) Class of 2012 entered Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance, on Friday, May 18, to celebrate the completion of their nursing degrees. The state’s largest class of nurses – 648 strong – included 282 Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 333 Master of Science, 21 Doctor of Nursing Practice, and 12 PhD graduates.
Kathleen Buckley, PhD, RN, IBCLC, associate professor and chair of the UMSON Faculty Council, welcomed graduates, family members, faculty, and friends.
“You begin your careers at a time when nursing presents unparalleled possibilities—no other profession offers such a diverse range of career paths and opportunities for professional advancement,” said Buckley. “Very few professions afford you the privilege of having a significant impact on the lives of individuals, families, and communities as nursing does.”
Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean and professor, who will be retiring this year, provided many words of wisdom to the graduates in her Convocation address.
“Knowing what is right in any situation is often very complex, but the more we practice, the better we get at it,” said Dean Allan. “As nurses, we are endowed by our education with the capacity to be ethical and we cultivate that endowment by daily practice, which includes constant questioning of what we see taking place around us as it affects both patients and nurses, and then talking about it with other nurses – not in a judgmental way, but in a way that brings forth all the relevant values that could be attached to a decision or situation.”
Later in the day, School of Nursing graduates participated in the University of Maryland, Baltimore Commencement ceremony at 1st Mariner Arena, where Freeman Hrabowski, III, PhD, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, delivered the Commencement address. Peter Buerhaus, PhD, RN, FAAN, Valere Potter Professor of Nursing and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree at the Commencement ceremony.
View the Convocation 2012 Slideshow!
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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools, and is ranked eleventh nationally. Enrolling more than 1,600 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment