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On May 20, 2017, the 51Ʒ�� awarded more than 1,800 bachelor's, master's and doctorates in osteopathic medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy, health sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, human services, education, management and the liberal arts during its 182nd Commencement ceremony at the Cross Insurance Arena. 

This year marked the first graduation ceremony for the 51Ʒ��College of Dental Medicine. The university awarded 62 students the Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. Of the students who have announced their post-graduation plans, 47 percent will be staying in New England. Twenty-four members of the first dental class hail from Maine, with at least 11 of those students staying in the state to practice or receive further professional training. Several more students have expressed a desire to return to Maine after completing residency and specialty programs. 

This was the 11th and final Commencement ceremony for 51Ʒ��President Danielle Ripich, who has led 51Ʒ��through a period of unprecedented growth. “The 62 men and women who will become Doctors of Dental Medicine today put their faith in 51Ʒ��at a time when our Oral Health Center truly was just a ‘cavity’ in the ground awaiting construction,” she said in her opening remarks. “They came to us as pioneers and, through their hard work and diligence, have established a culture of excellence for this, our newest college. No matter your college or program, I know our graduates leave 51Ʒ��with the potential to positively shape our world and the lives of the people living in it.”

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and former chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans under the Obama administration, served as the 2017 51Ʒ��Commencement speaker. The president of UMBC since 1992, Hrabowksi’s research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. He chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the 2011 report Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.

In 2008, Hrabowski was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report, which ranked UMBC the nation’s number one “Up and Coming” university for six years (2009-14). TIME magazine named him one of America’s 10 Best College Presidents in 2009 and one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012. 

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To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions