VCU Honors Newest Graduates

By Tom Gresham

Marilyn Tavenner, the Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the State of Virginia, urged Virginia Commonwealth University graduates on Saturday to set high standards for themselves and to pursue opportunities that might lead them in unexpected directions.

"I hope that you will learn to try new experiences, and accept responsibilities outside of your comfort zone," said Tavenner, a VCU alumna. "By doing so, you will continue to grow."

Tavenner, who has a bachelor's degree in Nursing and a master's degree in Health Administration from VCU, shared with the crowd at the Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center that she was a first-generation college graduate. The professional successes she's achieved were beyond her expectations, she said.

Tavenner, as a cabinet secretary, oversees 12 state agencies that employ more than 18,000 people. Prior to her appointment in 2006, she worked for 25 years in various capacities for the Hospital Corporation of America, starting as a staff nurse and rising to head the company's outpatient services on a national level.

"My hope for each of you is that you will fight for what you believe in, and you will look back in 25 years and realize you have touched not only one person's world, but you have touched one person who can change the world," said Tavenner, who received an honorary doctor of humane letters during the ceremony.

The graduating class of more than 2,300 students, which includes both August and December graduates, represents 100 counties and cities in Virginia, 25 states, Washington, D.C., and 32 countries. Students received professional, graduate and undergraduate degrees.

VCU President Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D., applauded the many accomplishments of the class and noted its collective role in the development of VCU into a leading urban university.

"You all have many stories to tell," Trani said. "Stories about perseverance, determination, leadership and making a difference. You have put in a lot of hard work to be sitting where you are sitting today and it is my honor to congratulate all of you on your wonderful achievement."