To WesternU’s Class of 2022,

A lifetime of hard work, dedication and determination has brought each of you to this pivotal moment in your life. Congratulations on a job well done!

I encourage you to celebrate this achievement with all those who helped you reach this extraordinary milestone — family, friends, fellow students, and mentors.

This was an especially challenging year as the University carefully navigated the pandemic and you showed great resolve and courage in completing your academic and clinical work. You make WesternU proud even as the pandemic etched its place in your educational experiences and in world events.

Commencement is the acme for our entire University. We celebrate the effort and success of some 1,000 students poised to join their colleagues among the health professions. We revel in the joy and excitement of our graduates, their families and loved ones, and the entire WesternU community who supported you along the way.

Your education prepares you to enhance and extend the quality of life in our communities. The protection and improvement of public health is “what we do.” There is no better testament to our mission than forgoing a treasure for the greater good.

The Class of 2022 exemplifies all the qualities that make WesternU a special place, and your institutional legacy is assured to be forever known as the senior class that persevered through a worldwide pandemic. The Class of 2022 is also especially dear to me as my first graduating class as President!

But your journey continues. Commencement celebrates the important end to one part of your education, but it also means “a beginning or start.” You will learn a great deal more as you take your place among the healers of the world, with all the opportunities and responsibilities this brings. Your skilled hands and compassionate hearts will help foster wellness for individuals and communities the world over.

I am honored to officiate — and celebrate — this Commencement with you. I very much look forward to hearing of your many accomplishments as one of our alumni.

Again, congratulations for your attainments today and for the bright future.

Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA
President, Western University of Health Sciences

Commencement History

WesternU’s annual Commencement ceremonies play an important role in the culture and traditions of the University, which was established in 1977 and now spans two states, California and Oregon. At these ceremonies, the University marshal, designated by the University mace, proudly starts the ceremony by leading the graduands into the auditorium. The faculty and administration soon follow and take their place on stage, eager to welcome their newest peers into the professional world of medicine. Graduands are then presented with colorful hoods that represent their specific area of study. As the University continues to grow and evolve, these traditions serve as a reminder of WesternU’s notable history and set the standard for countless opportunities to come.

Video Archive

Looking Back

Tradition

ACADEMIC REGALIA

Learn about the history of academic regalia, the president's distinct attire and the significance of your graduate's gown and hood colors.

Regalia worn in procession today trace origins to medieval universities, when all faculty were in religious orders and obliged to be properly gowned. Beyond ecclesiastical functions, robes marked clerics from the lay populace and also served well in unheated buildings of the day...

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POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE

We invite you to learn more about the key ritual elements that are seen at WesternU’s ceremonies. They symbolize our rich history and honored traditions.

Maces date from at least 1200 as heavy weapons borne by Sergeants-at-Arms meant to protect the King’s person. By the 14th century maces had become purely ceremonial, and increasingly decorative, symbols of royal or other institutional authority. The University Mace is a…

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LOOKING BACK

From the first keynote address in 1982 given by Dixon Arnett to the 2019 address by the first woman governor of Oregon, Barbara Roberts, the WesternU family has been honored with inspirational and influential speakers for 38 years.

Each year, hundreds of graduates leave Commencement with the keynote address fresh in their minds. WesternU prides itself on providing these future medical professionals with a message that will resonate for years to come.

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Looking Forward

We know that future planning is important, so we’ve provided the dates of commencement through 2025.

Future Ceremony Dates
Graduates looking forward while they wait in line to begin ceremony