First class of nursing students set to graduate

By Kristina Kenney

University News Service

The first class of students from St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State University-San Marcos will receive their bachelor’s degrees in nursing on Thursday, May 10. In celebration of this event, a pinning ceremony will take place in Evans Auditorium at 4:30 p.m. following the graduation ceremony.

Nursing pinning ceremonies have long been a tradition in nursing schools and signify the end of formal education and the beginning of professional practice as a form of welcome to the profession. The 82 students receiving pins at the ceremony represent the first class of students to graduate from St. David’s School of Nursing since the program began in fall 2010 with the grand opening of a state-of-the-art nursing building on the Round Rock campus.

The pins being given to the students were designed by Barbara Covington, the first faculty member in the School of Nursing. Students will be pinned by an individual who they feel has made the largest contribution toward helping them achieve their dream of becoming a nurse. The ceremony marks another “first” for the School of Nursing and signifies a culmination of years of effort put forth in the designing, planning and implementation of the nursing program.

Distinguished guests will include University President Denise Trauth, University Provost Gene Bourgeois, and Ruth Welborn, Dean of the College of Health Professions.