2019 Events and Honors 852 Graduates Honored at First Commencement Ceremony in Lexington, KY Graduates, family, friends, faculty, and staff gathered in Lexington, KY to celebrate commencement on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, honoring 852 graduates. A total of 265 graduates attended the event, accompanied by family, friends, and more than 200 FNU faculty, staff, and board members. This graduation was the first to ever be held outside of Leslie County. The new location at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY was not only close to our Versailles Campus but also allowed for larger attendance and greater comfort for those in attendance.
“As our enrollment and thus graduates continue to grow, it was essential that we find a facility that would accommodate these larger numbers,” said Dr. Susan Stone, FNU President. “The new venue not only allowed for more family and friends to attend graduation but also provided greater access to accommodations for those traveling to graduation and enhanced capabilities for sharing the commencement ceremony virtually.” Degrees were conferred on graduates who completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, Master of Science in Nursing degree, or Post-Graduate Certificate. To accommodate the nearly 2,000 attendees, the ceremony was moved from its traditional location in Hyden, Ky., to Lexington Center’s Bluegrass Ballroom in Lexington, Ky.
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| 2019 PRESIDENT’S REPORT
An annual highlight of the commencement ceremony is the awards presented to faculty and students who showed exceptional performance and leadership: Doctor of Nursing Practice Leadership Award: Heather Haslun, DNP Nurse Practitioner Leadership Award: Kristin DeArruda Wharton, MSN, FNP Kitty Ernst Leadership Award: Heidi Phillips, MSN, CNM DNP Exemplary Project Award: Carla Bray, DNP Student Choice Academic Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching: Janet Engstrom, PhD, APRN, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE Student Choice Regional Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching: Nancy Pesta Walsh, DNP, FNP
