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"Today is certainly both exciting and terrifying. You all have reached a milestone that is critical to the begining of your medical careers, and today is a step from the first phase of learning to the phase of independent ability. You are going to go out and make great changes to improve medicine and deliver excellent health care in your communities and throughout the state." Sara Rusch, MD, Res '81, FACP Regional Dean, Peoria Peoria "There are only about 17,000 individuals who will receive degrees such as yours this year in a country with a population of 300 milphysicians and/or biomedical scientists. Your careers will take lion or more." you into challenging residencies and demanding postgraduate President Easter also addressed the rigors and responsibilities programs. I am confident that the foundation in science, medicine of the road ahead. "The path you've chosen is vital to our nation and service to patients that you have and vital to humanity, providing highreceived here has prepared you for quality care and treatment that serves continued success. Not only will you humans' most fundamental and critical excel in your chosen field of specializaneeds. People literally put their lives in tion, but you will also assume leaderyour hands, so expectations are high. "You ship positions and take great pleasure also face a rapidly changing field, a field in mastering new skills, applying novel where new discoveries emerge every day ideas and solving complex clinical and and where the regulations that surround research problems." your profession change day by day," Pausing to look out at the Easter continued. "Each of you is ready listening graduates garbed in their caps for the challenges that lie ahead, and I and gowns, he concluded, "It is my sinam convinced that you will make your cere hope that you will forever apply mark, thanks to the tremendous education Attending surgical faculty and Clerkship Director Richard C. what you have experienced as students you've received from our faculty and the Anderson is flanked by graduating students Tyler Evans and Luisa Christensen. at UIC: passion in your pursuits, experiences that you've had as a student compassion for and dedication to your here. I congratulate you and thank you now patients, and excellence in every aspect of your lives." for the work that you will do."" Robert Easter, PhD '76, the university's 19th president, The ceremony took a literary turn as Chancellor Paula Allenshared his perspective on the significance of the graduates' acMeares, PhD '75, imparted wisdom penned by 18th century essayist complishments. "You are in very select company," he pointed out. Joseph Addison. "What sculpture is to a block of marble, education continued from page 24 26 | FA LL 2 013