Graduation

Inaugural Class of 2012 Graduates

May 19, 2012, was a historic day for Union University and the School of Pharmacy as the 41 members of the Inaugural Class of 2012 received their Pharm.D. degrees at the graduation ceremony held on the Great Lawn of Jackson's campus. (The following is an excerpt from a Union University news release.)

Sheila Mitchell, the founding dean of the school, said that the occasion, while bittersweet, was a tremendous milestone for the program.

"It has been an amazing journey to get to this point," Mitchell said. "The members of this first class of students were pioneers. They partnered with faculty and staff to develop and implement a new kind of pharmacy program from the ground up -- an innovative program of excellence taught in an environment embracing the Christian intellectual tradition."

Ashley Turner, one of the pharmacy graduates and president of the graduating class, said the class had a special bond because of all the "firsts" in which they participated. In addition to being "guinea pigs" of sorts for pharmacy classes and residency programs, they in large part determined the culture for School of Pharmacy students.

"I feel like this school in years to come will continue to stand out, and I'll forever be proud to say that this is where I became a pharmacist," Turner said.

Keta Patel receives her doctor of pharmacy degree from David S. Dockery, president of the university, during spring graduation.

Members of the Class of 2012

Darren Awender	Lindsay Jenkins	Jessica Powers
Cody Baker	Josh Johnson	Franck Ramirez
Hewis Bartels	Amanda Kimsey	Aparna Reddy
Heather Basinger	Rachel Littleton	Jeremy Renfroe
Matt Bibb	Lindsay Martin	Erica Rogers
Audra Brock	Andy McLaughlin	Megan Rowlett
Tracy Conrad	Brooke McMaster	Allorie Smith
Sandra Creech	Aaron Miley	Alydia Snyder
Melissa Delaney	Crystal Moir	Ashley Turner
Derek Demaree	Jason Nguyen	Lineau Vilson Jr.
Kristen Duncan	Saharla Nur	Chip Walker IV
Misha Hari	Keta Patel	Houston Wyatt
Jessica Van Hart	Mai Anh Phung	Keri (Irvin) Wyatt
Michael Jackson	Brent Pierce

Class of 2012 Honors & Awards

Ashley Turner receives the Sheila L. Mitchell Leadership Award for Spring 2012

Among the 41 students that graduated several received awards at the School of Pharmacy Honors & Awards Ceremony held on May 19. Here is a complete listing of award winners.

APhA-ASP Mortar & Pestle Award - Aparna Dubakka Reddy
Facts & Comparisons Award of Excellence in Clinical Communication - Rachel Elizabeth Littleton
Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award - Darren Scott Awender
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Award - Megan Nicole Rowlett
Natural Standard Integrative Medicine Award - Melissa Coleman Delaney
Pharmacists Mutual Companies Book Award - Brent Alan Pierce
Student Society of Health-System Pharmacy Award - John Andrew McLaughlin
TEVA Pharmaceuticals Outstanding Student Award - Houston Warren Wyatt
Class of 2012 Outstanding Student Award - Ashley Michelle Turner
Academic Excellence Award - Alydia Gayle Snyder
Cancer Research Institute of West Tennessee Research Award - Erica Morgan Rogers
Pharmaceutical Sciences Award - Allorie Timon Smith
Pharmacy Practice Award - Aaron Mark Miley
Sheila L. Mitchell Leadership Award - Ashley Michelle Turner

Founder's Walk

The Class of 2012 gifted the School of Pharmacy with a Founders Walk which was recently installed in front of Providence Hall, home to the Union University School of Pharmacy. The walk commemorates the foresight and vision of Union University administration, key University stakeholders, and the West Tennessee Healthcare community at large.

The walk features the names of the members of the Planning Team on individual pavers. Plaques feature the names of the Union University Lead Benefactors and the Founding School of Pharmacy Leadership Team. The School of Pharmacy Founding Faculty and Staff and the 41 members of the Inaugural Class of 2012 are noted with their own individual paver engraved with their name.