The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences conferred a total of 159 degrees during the 2019 commencement ceremony, hosted May 25 on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, according to a final count.
Of those, the school awarded:
- 126 traditional entry level PharmD degrees
- 26 Distance Degrees and Programs PharmD degrees
- 7 PhDs
The school anticipates conferring more degrees over the summer, but allowed those graduates to participate in the ceremony.
The ceremony was a chance for faculty to share a few final words of advice with the Class of 2019.
Dr. Robert Scheinman, who was awarded the Chancellor's Teaching Recognition Award for 2019 and spoke during commencement, emphasized the importance of connecting with patients through stories.
“Stories define us: who we are, who we’d like to become, the path, the meaning of our lives," he said. “By putting effort into this, you will become part of their story and they will become part of yours ... Stories, connection — your words have more power than you could possible imagine. Learn how to use them.”
Dr. Ty Kiser, the recipient of the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, told the crowd of graduates to think of themselves as "a fancy new antibiotic."
"Today, you are FDA-approved — you are available on the market. Like all new antibiotics, you are put through years of vigorous testing,” he said, adding it will take time to prove themselves to other healthcare providers and patients, but he encouraged them to keep trying.
“You all graduate with the same degree today with a top 25 school of pharmacy," he said. "And when you, this new antibiotic, come to market, you’re going to have expectations about how you can be optimally used, which situations are the best use of your skills and which conditions meet your personal and professional goals."
