Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Elliott School of Nursing pins 24 graduates at May 2026 ceremony
Summary
The Elliott School of Nursing held its May 2026 pinning ceremony to honor 24 graduates; speakers praised the class's resilience, remembered a deceased classmate, and presented awards before the traditional candle-lighting and benediction.
The Elliott School of Nursing held a pinning ceremony to honor the 24 members of its Class of May 2026. Dean Karen Damron opened the program, thanked families and supporters, and urged graduates to embrace "calm competence" and compassion as they begin clinical practice. She introduced university leaders on the platform, including President Burton Webb and Vice President for Academic Affairs Marissa Greer, and noted the ceremony's ties to nursing tradition.
President Burton Webb praised the graduates and recounted an experience that underscored the importance of nursing care, saying the attention he received while injured "got me stabilized" and expressing the university's pride in the new nurses. Student performers and class representatives offered reflections: Sophie Lowe and Kaylee Mead described the cohort's support for one another through stressful semesters and thanked faculty and families for their encouragement.
Speakers and classmates marked the loss of Kennedy Dawn Mullet, a classmate who died during the program; the ceremony included a moment of silence and multiple remembrances. The school presented several awards, naming Kaylee Deskins as the Vivian Day Award recipient, Carly Lafferty as the Elizabeth Akers Elliott awardee, and Carla Hall as the Spirit of Nursing Award honoree. Faculty members and the university chaplain, Rob Musick, led prayers and the anointing portion of the pinning ritual, and students performed the Florence Nightingale pledge.
Graduates came to the stage to receive pins, a Gideon Society edition of the New Testament, a bridal rose and candle, and to hear personal messages read aloud. The program closed with a benediction from Brooke Owens and an invitation to a reception outside the auditorium.
