A record-breaking more than 2,600 graduates from The University of Texas at El Paso celebrated the culmination of years of hard work, study and sacrifice during the University’s three spring Commencement ceremonies May 18 at the Don Haskins Center.
During the evening ceremony, UTEP celebrated the first cohort of eight graduates from the Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree program in the School of Nursing. The D.N.P. is the school’s first doctoral degree.
The morning ceremony included the first four graduates of the Liberal Arts Honors Program. In the afternoon, the first Bhutanese student to earn a doctoral degree, Khendum Choden, received her Ph.D. in international business.
During her Commencement remarks, President Diana Natalicio acknowledged the contributions that members of the spring 2013 class made to the University’s exciting transformation in its quest to become the nation’s first national research university with a 21st century demographic.
“Today we joyfully celebrate not only your achievements as UTEP students, but also your many anticipated accomplishments as UTEP alumni – and members of a fast-growing Miner Nation, rich in tradition and even richer in promise!” she said.
“As we rapidly approach UTEP’s 100th birthday in 2014, it is truly exciting to consider the enormous impact of this University’s 100 years of work to create educational opportunities for residents of this region, and of the more than 110,000 who seized those opportunities and went on to lead highly successful lives,” she added. “It’s hard to imagine what this region would be like without this University and the many outstanding alumni who have remained here to contribute to our collective well-being.”