Congratulations
CLASS OF 2021
The University of Pikeville held inperson commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021 to recognize the academic achievements of students earning degrees in the health professions, and undergraduate and graduate studies. The celebrations were held over a three-day span at the Appalachian Wireless Arena in downtown Pikeville, as a safety measure in response to COVID-19. Graduates and families who preferred to celebrate virtually were able to watch the ceremonies via livestream. In his keynote address for the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies, Nate Morris, founder and chief executive officer of Lexington, Kentucky-based Rubicon, challenged students to join him in helping to build sustainable economic development opportunities for Eastern Kentucky. Morris also promised seed funding to help UPIKE start a studentled conservation program with objectives, goals and deliverables.
“Together, we can be leaders in making great things happen,” said Morris. “We are the people who will find opportunity in unlikely places. Opportunity surrounds you, and yours could be waiting for you anywhere. Now is your time to think big and dream big.”
for her decades of dedication to the university’s faculty and students. Simpson and Gilliam were the first female faculty members to receive the award. Dean of Kentucky Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) Dana Shaffer, D.O., FACOFP dist., FAOGME, also received the Presidential Medallion for his dedication to furthering KYCOM’s mission. All three faculty members have announced their retirement this June.
The Master of Social Work (MSW) program graduated its inaugural class, and commencement highlights for the College of Nursing and Human Services and the Patton College of Education included pinning new professional social workers, nurses and educators.
“This graduation is an incredible milestone for our School of Social Work, but more importantly it means that 10 advanced-level social work practitioners and servant leaders will be joining the workforce and changing lives across Central Appalachia and beyond,” said MSW Program Director and Chair of the School of Social Work Genesia Kilgore-Bowling, Ph.D., MSW, CSW. “I am so proud of these graduates.” Mary Rado Simpson, Ph.D., RN, CNE Professor of Nursing
President Burton J. Webb, Ph.D., awarded the Presidential Medallion to Professor of Nursing Mary Rado Simpson, Ph.D., RN, CNE, for her significant contributions to nursing education at UPIKE, and Assistant Provost Pam Gilliam, Ed.D., MBA, 24
Simpson and Michael Holcomb, Ph.D., were honored as first- and second-place recipients, respectively, of the William Wade and Helen Record Walker Teaching Excellence Award.
UPIKE MAGAZINE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021
Ancil W. Lewis, chief executive officer of Big Sandy Health Care, Inc., delivered the keynote address at the health professions ceremony.
“Collectively, these graduates will make a major contribution to the healthcare delivery system in Kentucky and across the nation,” said Lewis. “What the University of Pikeville has accomplished is phenomenal. This is the community and people that move mountains.”
Pamela Gilliam, Ed.D., MBA Assistant Provost
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