Just the beginning: Rowan University celebrates newest doctoral graduates

Rowan University kicked off Commencement Week Friday afternoon with an event celebrating its newest doctoral graduates and educational specialists—125 in all, a number that President Ali Houshmand said “warms my heart.” 

“The reason that we are where we are—and there is only one reason—and that is the work of the faculty,” Houshmand said. “Because without them, none of this would happen.”  

In addition to its 17 doctoral programs, Rowan is one of only two universities in the country to offer three medical degrees, an astonishing accomplishment for a university that was classified as just a master’s level institution eight years ago, noted Provost Tony Lowman.

Held inside Esbjornson Gym, the Hooding Ceremony featured keynote speaker and Lowman’s own mentor, Dr. Nicholas Peppas. A faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin, Peppas is an internationally renowned biomedical and chemical engineer, materials scientist and nanotechnologist and one of the world’s most cited chemical or biological scientists.

“Congratulations for being here today,” Peppas said to an applauding crowd. “You can relax for a little while, but this is the beginning of another life.” 

He urged his listeners to use their education to benefit others, to educate others, to help people and “to take people from the lowest echelons of our society and bring them up.”  

In 1967, Peppas said he was a chemical engineer when he learned about a medical doctor in South Africa who performed the first heart transplant. The news compelled Peppas to pursue biomedical engineering in the United States and to develop his own pioneering contributions to the medical field, including the first intraocular lens to correct cataracts.

Peppas described an encounter with the first patient to receive the operation to restore her vision, using it as an example for Rowan’s new graduates: Do something to help others.

“Go out and help this country, help this world, because in the long run, this is really what brings you happiness,” Peppas said. 

Before the ceremony, Peppas spent time with Lowman, his former Ph.D. students and their students. 

“The message to our graduates is never lose touch with those mentors out there,” Lowman said. “The person hooding you today is going to be there by your side, leading you, pointing you in the right direction. It doesn’t stop today with the hood. It’s going to continue.” 

After the ceremony, Shrhea Banerjee and her family posed for pictures with her new doctoral hood and a cap decorated with a message of gratitude: “Everything that I am I owe to those who believe in me.”

A beaming new graduate from Rowan’s Ph.D. program in pharmaceutical chemistry, Banerjee is thinking about continuing her education as a postdoctoral researcher. She was hooded by her adviser, Dr. Zhihong Wang, a professor in the College of Science & Mathematics who pushed Banerjee “whenever she needed it.” 

The message on her cap was meant for her, too. 

“There are a lot of times in life where you lose hope,” Banerjee said. “You start questioning your choices and decisions, but because of these people in my life, be it my parents, my sister, my adviser, my friend group, everyone else around me, the hat is a tribute to all of these people, which is why I’m here today.”