Veterinary Students Receive White Coats in Annual Ceremony

White Coat 2017

In the midst of family and friends, second-year veterinary students walked across the Rudder Auditorium stage on the Texas A&M University campus, where they were met by a mentor who was ready to arm each student with their white veterinarian’s coat, a symbol of reaching the halfway point of their educational careers.

The annual White Coat Ceremony on Friday, April 21, marked the transition from coursework in the classroom to applying their knowledge through clinical work for Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) veterinary students.

The ceremony began with welcoming remarks from Dr. Eleanor M. Green, the Carl B. King of veterinary medicine, to the 132 students from the class of 2019, as well as to their family, friends, and professors who attended in support.

“The white coat represents professionalism—in actions and appearance. Putting on the white coat today is a reminder of the honor and the privilege you have been granted, and have worked for, to become part of the veterinary profession and part of the legacy of the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences,” she said. “With your new white coats, you will soon be a significant part of the health care team that battles diseases, unravels tricky diagnoses, reassures animal owners, and reflects on the humor, heartache, and inspiration in the life of a veterinarian.”

Dr. O.J. “Bubba” Woytek, assistant vice president of development & alumni relations at the CVM, gave a brief history of the White Coat Ceremony and the White Coat Endowment, which honors the legacy of Jeanne Fairweather, M.D.

Fondly known around the CVM as the “white coat doctor,” Fairweather lived a full life of service to others, and her spirit now lives on in an endowment that supports future veterinarians by providing scholarships and a professional coat to every student who has completed the first two years of veterinary school.

Dr. Karen Cornell, associate dean for professional programs, then presented each second-year veterinary student with their white coat, and the ceremony closed with remarks from Green and a reception in Rudder Exhibit Hall honoring the white coat recipients.

To view photos from the White Coat ceremony, visit the CVM’s Flickr page by clicking here.


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