When the students in the medical school’s inaugural Class of 2018 arrived in Kalamazoo a little less than four year ago, the excitement in the community was palpable and events to welcome the future physicians were numerous.
Now, the students are on the cusp of completing their time at WMed and there are several upcoming events – Match Day, an awards banquet, a community celebration, and graduation – to mark what will be a life-changing milestone for them and a proud moment for faculty and staff at the medical school, and the community.
With all of that in mind, and with all of the events that are to come, here’s what you need to know about the upcoming events that will celebrate the Class of 2018 and all the students have accomplished during the last four years.
Match Day
Match Day is a time-honored event that will represent a culmination for the Class of 2018 as they learn where they will spend the next three or more years in residency training. The students will gather for the event on Friday, March 16, 2018, in the North Ballroom of the Bernhard Center at Western Michigan University.
Match Day is an intimate, private event for students, their families and friends, as well as invited medical school leaders and faculty. The doors to the North Ballroom will open at 10:30 a.m. for students and invited guests. Comments are planned for 11:15 am.
The medical school is hosting watch parties for Match Day at its W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus, Oakland Drive Campus, and the Department of Psychiatry in the Borgess North Professional Building where a livestream of Match Day will be available to faculty, residents, fellows, staff, and students. Although Match Day is not a public event, members of the community can also watch via a livestream that can be found here: http://bit.ly/2Hvc5IF
At noon on Match Day, WMed students will join other medical students from across the country in opening their envelopes to find out where they will be headed for residency. It is possible that some of our graduates will match to the residency programs at WMed and continue their careers here.
Awards and Alumni Banquet
The Awards and Alumni Banquet, a private dinner for the Class of 2018, invited guests, WMed leadership and faculty, will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, 2018, at the Cityscape Event Center, 125 S. Kalamazoo Mall.
During the event, students will be welcomed as the inaugural members of the medical school’s alumni group and several students and faculty will be honored with awards recognizing their achievements over the last four years. The event will also serve as the venue for the reveal of the Class of 2018 time capsule video, which will be filmed in March during Match Week.
Community Open House in Honor of the Class of 2018
The Kalamazoo community has been pivotal to the success of the medical school and its students. The community open house will be a chance for WMed leadership, students, faculty, residents, fellows, and staff to celebrate the Class of 2018 and to welcome community members to the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus in downtown Kalamazoo. This is an opportunity to acknowledge the support and contributions of the community that have buoyed the medical school and will continue to in the future.
The community open house is scheduled for 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, 2018, in the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus Courtyard with brief comments at 2:00 p.m. The public is welcome and invited to join us for this celebration and self-guided tours of the medical school. No RSVP required.
Graduation
Just like the Community Open House, the graduation of the Class of 2018 will be a chance for the community to join WMed leadership, students, faculty, residents, fellows, and staff as we celebrate all that our students have accomplished at WMed and what will await them in residency as new physicians.
The graduation ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 13, 2018, at WMU’s Miller Auditorium, 2200 Auditorium Drive. Doors for the event will open to the general public at 1:15 p.m. No RSVP required.
Following the graduation ceremony, attendees are invited to attend a reception at Miller to cap off what will be a big day for the medical school, our students, their families and the community.