Front row,
from left: Charles Agbetsoamedo, Taknicia Taylor, Oleksandr Povazhnyak, Sarah
Caroline Williams, Mary E. Carmichael, Tara Louise Hazouri, Bethaney Louise
Allison, Sherman President Edwin Cordero, D.C., Ana Tegla Leite, Alishia Ann
Hepak, R. S. Porter, Brendal Scott Epling, Andrew Dean Herman, Joseph Pierce
Power, Daniel John Poff. Back row, from left: John Spangler, Ryan Eddy Lutz, Benjamin
E. Couture, Victoria Patrice Fox, Haytham Abdelaziz Abou Elkasem El-Genedy, Tiffany
Rae Padden, Courtney Ryan Sharpe, Heath Alexander Sharpe, Abigail Noel Vivoda, Justin
Kyle Willis, Patrick Ryan O'Toole. Not pictured: Bruce Michael Ward, Jr.
Twenty-six students
from around the world received the doctor of chiropractic degree from Sherman
College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg, SC, on Saturday, June 15, 2013. The commencement was a shared
ceremony for June and September graduates.
Charles
Agbetsoamedo of Ghana,
recipient of the Milton W. Garfunkel Award, presented the farewell address to his
classmates. The Garfunkel Award is the highest award given at graduation. The
student receiving this honor must have a grade point average of 3.5 or above,
and in addition, best exemplify those qualities Sherman College would like to
inculcate in all of its graduates: love of the profession, an understanding of
the philosophy, willingness to share, and service to the college and community.
Agbetsoamedo also received the
Academic Achievement Award and the Service Distinction Award. The Academic
Achievement Award is given to the individual in each graduating class who
maintains the highest grade point average throughout his or her studies at
Sherman College. The Service Distinction Award is not given at every
graduation; rather it is given to students who stand out for their significant
and distinguished service contributions to Sherman College and the local
community throughout their course of study.
The Clinical
Excellence Award was presented to Tiffany Padden of Michigan for the June class and Ana Tegla Leite of
Brazil for the September class, in
recognition of their successful practices in the Health Center. This award is
given to an intern in each class who has diligently worked to develop skills in
the art, science and philosophy of chiropractic, maintained an “A” average in
the clinical program, and exhibited superior overall clinical performance and
professionalism.
The B.J. Palmer
Philosophy Distinction Award was presented to John Spangler of Pennsylvania for
the June class and Joseph Pierce Power of South Carolina for the September
class. This honor is given in recognition of the outstanding student who
exemplifies the profound philosophical understanding necessary to translate the
universal principles of life into the workable philosophy, science and art
which is chiropractic.
The commencement address was given by Anthony
C. Duke, Ph.D., professor of basic sciences at Sherman College. Since joining
the college faculty in 1980, Dr. Duke has taught all the college’s physiology
courses, abnormal psychology, gross anatomy, neuropathophysiology, philosophy
of science, and neuroanatomy. He served as dean of basic sciences from 1982 to
1999 and as interim dean from 2009 to 2011. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology and
physiology, and a second Ph.D. in neuroscience and neuroanatomy from Michigan
State University. He has completed National Institutes of Health post-doctoral
training in neuroanatomy and neurophysiology and has completed additional
training in cognitive therapy and in psychometrics. Dr. Duke served three consecutive
four-year terms on both the Physiology Committee and the Spinal Anatomy Committee
of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and has offered continuing
education seminars at Sherman College and for chiropractic associations in
Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.
Kevin Power, D.C., assistant professor of
clinical sciences at Sherman College, delivered the
charge to the graduates; his son, Joseph
Pierce Power, was a member of the September graduating class. A 1981 Sherman
graduate, Power has 25 years in private practice experience, practicing for five
years in his home state of Victoria, Australia, and for 20 in Spartanburg. Power
is the youngest of five brothers, all doctors of chiropractic. He joined the
college faculty in 2002 and teaches and assists in technique classes. He also coaches
the Sherman rugby team.
The doctor of chiropractic program at Sherman College requires
students to complete more than 4,800 hours (14 quarters) of classroom and
laboratory study and also includes an internship in the college’s on-campus
Chiropractic Health Center. To enter the program, students must have at least
90 semester hours of college-level courses, including courses in the
sciences.