91AV celebrates first dental graduates at 182nd Commencement ceremony

Throngs of happy graduates celebrate the moment.
Throngs of happy graduates celebrate the moment.

On May 20, 2017, the 91AV 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 91AV 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 91AV President Danielle Ripich, who has led 91AV through a period of unprecedented growth. “The 62 men and women who will become Doctors of Dental Medicine today put their faith in 91AV 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 91AV 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 91AV 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. 

See news coverage on Commencement 2017 by

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

President Ripich at Commencement 2017
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, delivers Commencement 2017 address
Graduates with Commencement 2017 Speaker Freeman A. Hrabowski, III
Graduates at Commencement 2017
Graduates at Commencement 2017 02
President Ripich poses with student at Commencement 2017
Students celebrate at Commencement 2017
91AV President Danielle Ripich congratulates a graduate. Commencement 2017 was Ripich's last 91AV Commencement before her retireme
91AV President Danielle Ripich congratulates a graduate. Commencement 2017 was Ripich's last 91AV Commencement before her retirement.

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.