UPIKE Celebrates the Class of 2020 with Virtual Commencement Ceremonies
The University of Pikeville honored the academic achievements of more than 270 graduates at the associate, baccalaureate and master’s degree levels in its first-ever virtual commencement on May 2. Sixty-One Doctor of Optometry degree recipients from the inaugural graduating class of UPIKE’s Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) joined 123 Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine degree recipients from the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) in a separate virtual commencement. Both ceremonies were held virtually in response to COVID-19 restrictions and are available for viewing at Pikeville.stageclip.com.
Steven J. Stack, MD, MBA, FACEP, delivered the keynote address for the KYCO and KYCOM virtual commencement ceremony. He congratulated the new graduates, reminding them that the world in which they are beginning the next phase of their clinical journeys will be unlike any other.
“On the road that lies ahead, let compassion be your compass,” Stack explained. “As healers, how you connect with your patients and show them you care are some of the most important choices you make and skills you learn. Be competent, be confident and be professional, but always be compassionate.”