KU School of Nursing Recognition Ceremony

Remarks by Karen L. Miller, RN, PhD, FAAN

Senior Vice Chancellor

Academic and Student Affairs

University of Kansas Medical Center

Dean

University of Kansas School of Nursing

At Recognition Ceremony

May 16, 2009
KU School of Nursing Graduation 2009 Photo Album

I am honored to be here today with you, the Class of 2009. I am pleased to welcome all of your families and special guests.

The University of Kansas School of Nursing is recognized nationally as one of the finest institutions of higher education in nursing in our country. The Class of 2009 comprises graduates from all of our programs: The baccalaureate program, the baccalaureate and master’s degree completion programs, the advanced practice master’s degree graduate programs and students completing their doctoral degrees. In all, about 300 students will graduate from the School of Nursing in 2009. We honor all of these graduates who celebrate with us today.

Everyone gathered here today has played an important part in your education at the University of Kansas School of Nursing. We believe that KU offers this city, this region and the nation the finest professional nurses anywhere. 

The excellence of our graduates is a reflection on the expertise and dedication of the faculty of the School. At this time I would like to introduce faculty members of the School who have taught and coached these graduates throughout their nursing education. Faculty, please stand to be recognized! 

It is also fitting that we take the time to thank the family members who have given the time, effort, patience, support and financial resources that have made it possible for these students to attain their education. Would every member of the graduates’ family or friends who is here today please stand now so we may show our appreciation for your long and invaluable support. 

The graduates whose achievements we are celebrating today will become clinical nurses in a variety of biomedical specialties; they will be nurse managers, advanced practice clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners and midwives. They will be scientists, health care executives and educators. 

During the time you have been a student at KU Medical Center, the world has changed. In the past two years alone, the environment of a stable and growing economy has shifted to recessionary times with financial instability. You are graduating with new degrees and credentials into a world with problems that will affect your work and personal lives.

As nurses you have been educated to consider different perspectives of an issue.  Multiple levels of analysis of today’s difficult times indicate that you have serious conditions to deal with.

First, there is significant Global Turmoil. Our country is engaged in two wars, the expansion of terrorism in countries that possess nuclear arms, and aggression in underdeveloped nations that threatens millions of people with hunger, homelessness and physical harm.

Second, the national economic crisis is affecting thousands of Americans. People are losing their jobs and their livelihoods and sometimes, their homes. When these things happen, people can feel helpless and afraid. Hope in the future gets lost in the worries for present survival. Fear and anxiety are precursors for a variety of physical and emotional diseases.

Third, there are increasing unmet needs in our communities. There has been an uptick in chronic diseases and illness due simply to the fact that folks cannot afford their medications. People are not seeking routine health care. Health care is getting scarcer for those who are suddenly without health insurance. Fewer jobs mean less capacity for good nutrition, housing and safety. Looming before us is the mandate to reform health care, to improve access to care for the millions of Americans lacking sufficient health care coverage, and to revise reimbursement policies for care providers.  Nurses already are playing a vital role in lending their expertise as members of the President’s several national committees for healthcare reform.

And fourth, all of these factors combine to cause hardships for individuals, for families and sometimes, for us personally. These factors will surely impact your own professional lives in the coming months.

So, please allow me to assure you that you will be successful, despite the challenges you face. I know this because I know your teachers and I know how confident they are in you. And, I believe that confidence is an important concept for you to understand about yourself….. especially today.

To be confident is to be certain…. To trust… to be assured. Your education is the foundation of a confident professional. You have learned what it takes to help solve the problems we face. You are on a path to become experts in those areas of health care that require your unique knowledge. You have every reason to be self-confident. You know what you need to know, and when you don’t know, you will find out. 

Who could be better educated than you, as nurses…to help others cope with these difficult times? It requires confidence in your best therapeutic approaches, your best communication skills…. You can be assured that your degree means that you can trust in yourself and your many skills. You have earned that confidence. Don’t leave home without it!

I know that you will add your own version of KU Nursing to our collective repertoire of professional excellence. You have much to offer the world and you will make a difference in many lives.

On behalf of everyone here, I thank you. Congratulations and best wishes!

To view pictures of the Recognition Ceremony, Graduation Lunch and Commencement, click here: