I Can't Wait to See What You Will Accomplish

The Bloomberg School Celebrates the Class of 2014

Academic pageantry ruled Tuesday May 20, as the Bloomberg School awarded degrees to its 860-member graduating class at the 2014 convocation at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Representing 46 countries, the graduates earned 123 doctoral degrees and 737 masters degrees. Close to half of the class (350) earned Masters of Public Health, and 387 students received Masters of Health Science and other masters degrees, including 15 students who were the first recipients of the School’s Master of Public Policy degree.

Bloomberg School Dean Michael J. Klag commended the graduates for enriching the School, as well as the community beyond its classrooms. Over the past year, he noted that students partnered with more than 100 organizations throughout Baltimore, providing approximately 9,000 hours of service—as HIV counselors, language interpreters for health clinics and social service initiatives, and planners for programs serving vulnerable populations.

“Collectively, you have contributed a spirit and energy that inspires all of us in our efforts to make the world a better place,” he said.

The convocation speaker was Carol S. Larson, president and CEO of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, introduced by Dean Klag as “a true leader who has championed the health and well-being of women, children and families.”

The dean also recognized the accomplishments of the late International Health professor Timothy D. Baker, who died in December 2013, noting that he was instrumental in founding the Department and in establishing international health as an academic field.

Welcoming the students to the School’s global alumni network numbering close to 20,000, Dean Klag charged the graduates with carrying on the School’s nearly century-old mission, protecting health, saving lives--millions at a time.

“The world is counting on you,” he said, “and I can’t wait to see what you will accomplish.”