Together Again: NC State Vet Med’s Class of 2020 Returns for In-Person Graduation

Nearly a year and a half after they officially became veterinarians, the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine class of 2020 got the moment they deserve: an in-person, traditional oath and hooding graduation ceremony.

All members of the class of 2020 were invited to the oath and hooding ceremony held Nov. 6 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The class was recognized as the first to participate in the CVM’s groundbreaking house system and honored for their tenacity and commitment in the face of the growing COVID-19 pandemic that cast a shadow over their final semester of DVM training.

In May 2020, the class graduated in an online ceremony via Zoom and streamed over YouTube. It was the first time since raising the class size in 2012 that all 100 students graduated. During the online ceremony, CVM Dean Paul Lunn described the class as “likely the best we have ever known.” 

The class of 2020 is the final class graduating under Lunn’s leadership. In January, he will step down as dean to lead the University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science, his alma mater. Kathryn Meurs, senior associate dean for research and graduate studies and the Randall B. Terry, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Comparative Medicine, will serve as interim dean as the search kicks off the CVM’s next leader.

On Saturday, Lunn again led the ceremony for the class of 2020, calling its members “true leaders amongst your peers” and expressing gratitude for many members returning for an additional ceremony.

“We saw some of the toughest times in this society and you all stood up and were part of the response to those tough times,” Lunn said during the in-person ceremony. “And that is only part of the reason why we think so much of you.”

~Jordan Bartel/NC State Veterinary Medicine

Oath and Hooding photos: Look through a collection of photos from the class of 2020’s in-person graduation ceremony here.