In less than three weeks, West Virginia University will honor approximately 1,500 graduates at its annual December graduates convocation, scheduled for Dec. 9 at 1:30 p.m. in the WVU Coliseum.

Alison Wilson, MD, FACS, director of the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center at Ruby Memorial Hospital, will address graduates. She is an associate professor in the WVU School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, and director of the Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Critical Care.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to be involved with these graduates on such an important occasion as they transition into a new era. To be with them as they celebrate is a huge honor,” Wilson said. “This is a wonderful University, and I am honored and humbled to represent it at convocation.”

Wilson leads a multi-disciplinary team that cares for patients from the scene of the injury, through emergency transport and emergency department treatment, until they are released from the hospital. Under her leadership, the Trauma Center has maintained certification as an American College of Surgeons’ Level One Trauma Center.

She serves on the West Virginia State Trauma Advisory Council and works toward improving and maintaining quality standards for trauma statewide.

Wilson is actively involved in teaching medical students, residents and graduate students. She has developed a training curriculum for both trauma and surgical critical care. She has received the surgical teaching award four times. In 2012, she was honored with the Dean’s Award for Clinical Excellence. Wilson is a member and holds leadership positions in several surgical and trauma professional societies and serves on the Board of Directors of the Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society.

She received her medical training and completed a surgical residency and a critical care fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“What I’m hoping to impart on these graduates is that the future can be great, and it will be what they make of it,” Wilson said. “If they put forth the hard work and have a positive attitude, they can succeed in whatever they want to do.”

Information for graduates, guests

While not a formal commencement, convocation honors those students who complete their degree requirements midyear.

The ceremony provides them with an opportunity to walk across the stage as their names are read, shake hands with WVU President Jim Clements and other administrators, and receive a letter of congratulations.

Diplomas will be mailed in January after grades are confirmed with the Office of the University Registrar.

A live webcast of the convocation will be available on the event website (http://graduation.wvu.edu/convocation). The link will be made available 15 minutes prior to convocation start time. Users must have an updated version of the Flash plug-in to view the webcast.

All students participating in the ceremony are asked to register online at http://simpleforms.scripts.wvu.edu/sf/2012RegistrationDC/. The deadline is Dec. 5 by the end of the day. An estimated 700 students are expected to participate in this year’s event. August 2012 graduates have also been invited.

All degree candidates should wear caps, gowns and hoods, if appropriate. Official regalia are available at the WVU Bookstore, 304-293-7467.

This year, the WVU Wind Symphony, with faculty vocalist Hope Koehler, will be performing. The Wind Symphony is conducted by College of Creative Arts Assistant Dean and Director of Bands John Hendricks.

Special seating is available for guests with physical limitations, as well as guests requiring the services of the interpreters on the platform. Call the Office of Disability Services at 304-293-6700 by noon on Dec. 7 to reserve special seating.

Free parking is available at the WVU Coliseum. Additional parking lots on the Evansdale Campus can be found here.

Some schools, colleges and departments host their own events surrounding December Convocation. These are listed at http://graduation.wvu.edu/convocation, which will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.

At the same site, students and their families can find lodging information, directions and important links that will help them as they are making their plans.

Updates are also available on the WVU Graduation Facebook page.

Note: GradImages has been contracted to provide quality graduation photos for each student. Proofs will be e-mailed to graduates within 24 hours of the ceremony, and prints will be mailed in the days following the event. Check http://graduation.wvu.edu/convocation for ordering information.

-WVU-

td/11/27/12

CONTACT: University Relations/News
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