College of Medicine Hosts 25 th Reunion for Charter Class of Aggie Docs
TAMHSC
COMOIACommunicationsNews2006 News ArchiveCollege of Medicine Hosts 25 th Reunion for Charter Class of Aggie Docs
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (July 25, 2006) – The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine is hosting a weekend of events to honor the first graduating class of Aggie doctors, the Class of 1981, Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. In conjunction with the reunion of the charter class, the College of Medicine will also welcome the newest incoming class of medical students, the Class of 2010.
The weekend's events will kick off Friday evening with a Dean's Welcome Dinner at the Reynolds Medical Building for the Class of 1981, new and current College of Medicine students, and former and current faculty. A tree dedication ceremony will also be held to honor the gift of 32 trees made by the Class of 1981 upon their graduation.
On Saturday morning, the Class of 2010 will take part in the time-honored tradition of receiving a white coat to signify the beginning of their medical training. The 2006 White Coat Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in Rudder Theatre on the Texas A&M main campus, with Class of 1981 member Jay Franklin, M.D. as the featured speaker. The ceremony will be attended by the new students, their families and friends, the Class of 1981, and College of Medicine faculty and staff.
The College of Medicine will host a wine and cheese reception at 6 p.m. in the Rotunda of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, followed by the 25 th Reunion Silver Celebration dinner and program to honor the Charter Class of 1981 in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.
True pioneers of the Texas A&M College of Medicine, 32 students started their medical training when the college opened its doors in 1977. Made up of 25 males and seven females, the class was comprised of all Texas A&M undergraduates except one. In the class of 32, 14 students were admitted with sophomore undergraduate credits; 16 were of junior status and the other two were seniors. Their average mean age at admission was 20. Classes were held in the Olin E. Teague Research Center and the Animal Industries Building on the south side of the Texas A&M campus.
The 85 incoming students in the Class of 2010 were selected through a rigorous application and interview process. The College of Medicine received more than 2,900 applications for the upcoming academic year and awarded 714 personal interviews. The college's newest medical students come from 32 different undergraduate institutions, with 31 percent and 12 percent receiving degrees from Texas A&M University and the University of Texas, respectively. The group has an average college GPA of 3.75 and a MCAT score of 28. Underrepresented minority students comprise 14 percent of the class, while females outnumber the males, 54 to 46 percent.
More information is available online at http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/reunion/index.html .
