New Students Welcomed at Summer Orientation

Last week in Glendale and this week in Downers Grove, MWU welcomed new students in our Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Glendale Pharmacy, and Nurse Anesthesia programs.

In Glendale, the College of Pharmacy-Glendale welcomed 151 students; Physician Assistant, 90; Physical Therapy, 50; and Nurse Anesthesia, 32. My colleagues and I were able to meet the students as Dr. G welcomed them and introduced us. As is tradition, after having each class stand, Dr. G then has students identify themselves by what the state from which they are coming. There were several native Glendalians and many from the Phoenix area as well as Tucson and Flagstaff. Quite a few also came from the midwest and several from Illinois/Chicago. I don't blame them for wanting to get away from winter for a while, although I hope they are prepared for the brutal Arizona summers! 

In Downers Grove, the Physician Assistant Program had 85 new students, while the Physical Therapy program had 48. After introductions, we learned that none of these students were hometowners, but we did have five from Texas (people from Texas seems to be very proud of that fact!). None were from Arizona or the Southwest, but many came from the east coast and the west coast, with a lot from Illinois and other midwestern states.

Orientation is a great opportunity for students to be introduced to the people and campus, as well as to start getting to know their classmates and faculty. It is a great chance from the administration to meet all of the students in a group, so you might remember who we are when you see us again on the stage at graduation. Our sincere hope, however, is that we get to personally know many of you during your years at MWU. The open door policy is real, and starts at Dr. G and trickles down to every one of us.

So, welcome to the newest classes for the summer. We will greet more new students in early August and even more in late August/early September. You have worked hard to earn a seat in one of our programs, and now the even harder work starts of completing them. Best of luck and please stop by to say hello!