Biggest class ever entering OU med school

The Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine will welcome the class of 2013, its largest class so far, during the college's 34th Convocation Ceremony this Saturday.

Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, will deliver the keynote address at the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium.
"This event welcomes new students into the osteopathic medical profession," OU-COM Dean John Brose, D.O., said in a prepared release. "It also allows us to honor individuals who have made exceptional contributions to our college, to the medical profession or to citizens in our region."

Event highlights include both the college's White Coat Ceremony, in which students receive their short white coats - the mantle of the medical profession - as well as the presentation of the Phillips Medal of Public Service to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to health care, education and/or public service. The Phillips Medals are the highest honor awarded by the college.

A total of 120 members make up the entering class of 2013. This breaks last year's records for both largest class in college history, according to the release.

"I am extremely proud of this year's class, which has the highest grade point averages," Brose said in the news release. "This is a result of our college's growing reputation for academic and research excellence, as well as the exceptional work of our admissions office."

According to John Schriner, Ph.D., director of admissions, 81 percent of the incoming students are Ohio residents, 11 percent hail from southeast Ohio or Appalachian Ohio counties, and 33 percent are first-generation college students. The class is 53 percent female and 47 percent male, with minority students making up 28 percent, he said.

This year's class tied the highest cumulative grade point average of any of the college's previous 33 classes, Schriner said. "We also set a school record with the highest science GPA at 3.57 (up from 3.56 last year)," he said.

The average age of the class is 24.6 years old, Schriner reported in the release. "We have a few more non-traditional students in this year's class than last. We also have two married couples with both the husband and wife starting medical school this year," he said.

During this year's ceremony, a Phillips Medal of Public Service will go to keynote speaker Chancellor Fingerhut, as well as to David P. Blom, president and chief executive officer of Columbus-based OhioHealth. The award is named for the late J. Wallace and Jody Galbreath Phillips, both longtime friends of OU.

The short white coats presented to medical students during the Convocation Ceremony are gifts from the Ohio Osteopathic Foundation, and must be worn by student doctors during clinical assignments. Upon graduation, students receive their long white coats, which symbolize their official instatement as physicians.

Ohio University President Roderick J. McDavis, Ph.D., and Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit, Ph.D., will offer greetings from the university, as will as representatives from various professional organizations.

A reception will follow the ceremony at the Boyd Dining Hall on West Green.