Rain in Arizona is truly a rare occurrence. It's the desert, for goodness' sake. For years, we have hosted our annual Glendale Campus White Coat Ceremony outdoors, near the reflecting ponds. This year, it rained.

Fortunately, many of us hail from the Midwest, so we are ready with weather contingency plans. Friday's rains were widely predicted, so we knew what was coming. As expected, the rains started about noon and got heavier as the afternoon went on. Even though we had 1,000 chairs set out and tents covering the AV equipment, it was clear we weren't going to be able to host another outdoor White Coat Ceremony.

Because this was an act of nature, our students and their families were very understanding. We were able to move all of the ceremonies to indoor lecture halls, provide seating for all the guests, and even stagger the timing so that Dr. Goeppinger could welcome each group.

Typically, the White Coat Ceremony is a university-wide event, with students from all colleges and programs coming together as a health care team to receive their first white coats. The only downside to the rained out event was that we had to separate the students by college. The students were able to celebrate their achievements with their classmates and to focus on issues of professionalism within their discipline.

The College of Health Sciences kicked off the events with a 3:00 pm ceremony in Ocotillo Hall. PA faculty member Michel Statler read the names of all the students, the CHS program directors coated them, and then Dean Jackie Smith, Ph.D., personally congratulated each student. The College of Pharmacy-Glendale went next at 3:30 pm in Sahuaro Hall, with a simulcast between two lecture halls so more family members could see the ceremony. Dean Anne Lin, Pharm.D., announced the names of the students, and they were coated by their faculty advisors. The Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine concluded the day's festivities at 4:30 pm back in Ocotillo Hall. Students were coated by Dean Lori Kemper, D.O., and Associate Deans Thomas O'Hare, D.O., Howard Shulman, D.O., and Mark Speicher. At each ceremony, Dr. G explained the history of the white coat and stressed the importance of being professional from day one. To conclude, she led the students--all wearing their new white coats--in reciting the Oath of Commitment.

So, despite the rain and having to move indoors, the MWU Glendale Campus White Coat Ceremony was a great success and will be a special memory for these 500 first-year students as they continue in their pursuit of becoming health care professionals.