Commencement Gets Back to Face-to-Face at the Kimmel

The second time was just as good as the first time, according to Reid Woodard, OD ‘96.

When Dr. Woodard “hooded” his son, Robert Woodard, OD ‘16, it was a special honor for both. And, at Salus University’s 124th commencement May 26, 2022, Dr. Woodard, got a second opportunity when he and his son hooded their daughter/sister, Ivey Woodard, OD ‘22. That makes three Drs. Woodard in the family.

"My dad, my brother and my mom all knew that becoming an optometrist was something that I could do, so they encouraged me to do it and really pushed me. I’m very thankful for their support through this journey,” said Dr. Woodard No. 3. “It was a very special moment. A lot of hard work has gone into the last four years, so walking across the stage was a great feeling.”

As for the proud father, he couldn’t be, well, any prouder.

“I told them it’s a wonderful profession. If they just work hard for four years, they have an opportunity to come in and be great optometrists,” said Dr. Woodard No. 1, who added that his daughter will now join he and his son in the family practice in Graham, North Carolina. “It was emotional to place the hood on her and see her finally achieve her dream.”

Commencement was once again back in person at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia. Masks were required for everyone, but it was good to see “everyone’s smiling eyes” according to Salus president Michael H. Mittelman, OD ‘80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE.

Administrators, faculty and staff weren’t the only ones happy to be back at the Kimmel. The students who were graduating were absolutely thrilled.

“It was really nice to be back together with everybody after some really long, hard years, especially after the pandemic. It was amazing to be back in the Kimmel Center and celebrating with everybody,” said James Brand, ‘AuD '22.

Dr. Brand, who was a Student Ambassador, a member of the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee and a student representative on the Board of Trustees, is now on his way to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to work in pediatric audiology.

“It was an absolute pleasure to spend time with every single one of the members of my cohort,” he said. "The whole Salus community really came together before, during and after this pandemic. I’m really proud of how everyone came through it.”

Courtney Bernhardt, MS '22, delivered the graduate commencement address. In it she noted that the Class of 2022, although in different programs, were all attracted to attend Salus for a reason.

“For myself, I chose Salus because it is a University that consists solely of graduate students, has an extraordinary and well-esteemed faculty and clinical educators in the realm of speech-language pathology, provides early clinical exposure in addition to vast clinical opportunities, and promotes interdisciplinary education and collaboration,” she said.

She urged her classmates not to question their abilities when they experience new and unexpected challenges. And she reminded them of everything they had to go through to get to where they are today.

“You have faced challenges before, challenges you may not have thought that you would overcome; but you did, and you will,” said Bernhardt.

The keynote speaker was Adm. Michelle J. Howard, the first African American woman to command a ship in the U. S. Navy and a personal shipmate and friend of Dr. Mittelman.

In 2014, she was the first woman to become a four-star admiral and the first woman to be appointed Vice Chief of Naval Operations, the No. 2 in military service. Adm. Howard is the first African American woman to reach the ranks of three-star and four-star in the Armed Forces and is a veteran of both Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“When I talked to Dr. Mittelman about the University, what struck me was the closeness of the students, despite the pandemic,” she said. “I thought this was like being with family.”

During her address to the graduates, Adm. Howard shared some of things she learned from her mother, including what graduates should ask themselves on a daily basis.

“What is the perfect question to start off every day?” she asked. “You should ask yourselves, ‘Is this better? Have I made life better today?’”

Earlier in the day, Dr. Mittelman along with provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, Barry Eckert, PhD, spent some private time speaking to students during rehearsal, a tradition they started. It gives them an opportunity to go off-script with the graduates in a more relaxed atmosphere before the pomp and circumstance.

During his time, Dr. Mittelman offered the graduates three pieces of advice as they go out into the professional world: Try to achieve work-life balance; don’t get complacent, be life learners; and have fun. “If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right,” he said.

Prior to the ceremony, graduation week also included specific programmatic receptions honoring graduates and a rooftop faculty luncheon in Center City.