Posted 05/10/2007

20th annual Hooding Ceremony marks formal commencement for Arnold School Graduates
 

Newly minted public health graduates will have an unprecedented opportunity to make a difference, according to a nationally recognized infectious disease expert who spoke at the Arnold School of Public Health’s 2007 Hooding Ceremony held May 10th.

Addressing degree candidates at the Koger Center for the Arts, Dr. Lonnie King said public health practitioners have “an opportunity to lead lives of incredible possibilities.”

King, director of the CDC’s National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases in Atlanta, was the keynote speaker for an audience of hundreds of parents, friends and well-wishers.

Dean Donna Richter, who presided over the 20^th annual Hooding, provided an overview of the tremendous career possibilities open to public health graduates. She also alluded to the many public health challenges facing our state and the nation.

During the ceremony, Dean Richter and Executive Associate Dean, Dr. Cheryl Addy, along with the school’s six department chairs, recognized outstanding faculty, graduates and returning alumni.

Norman J. Arnold, the school’s leading benefactor, and his wife, Gerry Sue, presented alumni awards in their names.

The selection of King, former dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University, to be speaker took on added meaning in light of the growing alliance between animal health and public health professionals.   

The Arnold School recently joined a national collaborative which includes Michigan State, the American Public Health Association, and the CDC center which King now directs. 

That collaborative addresses preparedness for new and emerging infectious diseases -- particularly among underserved and disenfranchised communities.