Four countries, 10 states to be represented in Auburn’s pharmacy school commencement May 10

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Auburn University's Harrison School of Pharmacy will award 131 professional doctor of pharmacy degrees during the school's commencement on Tuesday, May 10. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. in Auburn Arena.

In addition, six Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences degrees will be conferred and six candidates will be awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The 143-member class includes 102 students from Alabama. The remaining students represent four foreign countries – India, China, Saudi Arabia and Thailand; and nine states – Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Eight students in the class are Harrison School of Pharmacy legacies with either a parent, grandparent or sibling holding a degree from the school. Two students can include both of their parents as Harrison School of Pharmacy alumni.

The commencement address will be given by David Serota, senior vice president, director of research and senior principal study director at MPI Research in Mattawan, Michigan. Serota is a 1969 graduate of the Harrison School of Pharmacy.

The student address will be given by Elise Aucoin, a native of Pierre Part, Louisiana. Aucoin served as president of the Harrison School of Pharmacy Student Council and has accepted a two-year fellowship with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Birmingham. She is the first doctor of pharmacy graduate selected to the national Veterans Affairs Quality Scholars Program, a program that develops the next generation of health professionals to improve health care through innovations, quality improvement and patient safety. In addition to quality improvement projects and research, she will also be working to earn a Master of Science in Public Health Degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Selected as the student graduation marshal is Katherine Fuller, a native of Brierfield. Following graduation, Fuller will complete a pharmacy residency at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque.

Candidates will be presented by George Flowers, dean of the Auburn University Graduate School, and Lee Evans, dean of the Harrison School of Pharmacy. Hooding will be done by Paul Jungnickel, associate dean of the Harrison School of Pharmacy.

The Oath of a Pharmacist will be administered by Joe Dalton, '82, owner of Dalton Pharmacy and pharmacy director at Flowers Hospital in Dothan. He is the father of Class of 2016 member Tyler Dalton.

A live stream of the ceremony and other information can be found at http://www.auburn.edu/academic/pharmacy/about/graduation.html.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.