Top of page
Calendar News Request Info Give
Home »  News »  News Archive

Emory & Henry College’s School of Health Sciences Graduates Record-Breaking Class and Two Inaugural Cohorts

by Haley Arni

On Saturday, August 12, at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Va., 103 students graduated from Emory & Henry College’s School of Health Sciences, marking a milestone of the largest graduating class to date. Additionally, the College celebrated the inaugural cohorts of the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and the Doctor of Occupational Therapy. Many other students graduated with a Master of Physician Assistant Studies or a Doctorate of Physical Therapy.

SHS 2023 Commencement

E&H Master of Physician Assistant Studies students pose before the commencement ceremony held on Saturday, August 12

E&H Master of Physician Assistant Studies students pose before the commencement ceremony held on Saturday, August 12

“Class of 2023, we salute you,” declared Emory & Henry President Dr. John W. Wells to the graduates. “You’ve persevered during these unprecedented times, demonstrating great resilience and unwavering commitment to your goal of earning your degree. You have made many sacrifices and put in many long hours of studying while also providing high-quality health care to your patients during this global pandemic. We have no doubt that you will be true leaders in your chosen healthcare profession.”

Emory & Henry College’s Health Sciences campus was launched in 2014 to prepare compassionate, patient-centered, highly-skilled healthcare professionals who provide quality patient care and actively engage in leadership and service opportunities within their professional organizations and communities. The College began offering Occupational Therapy in 2016 as a Master’s program and has since graduated 128 students. The Master of Occupational Therapy was replaced by the doctoral program in the fall of 2020 and celebrates members of the class of 2023 as the first to graduate from the doctoral program. The Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling was launched in the fall of 2021 as a 24-month program and one of the region’s most affordable The program at Emory & Henry is ideally suited to meet the needs of this region by providing excellent training for qualified mental health counselors.

“The world is in desperate need of your love, but what I have seen in the last year is a desperate need to know we are loved,” said Washington County native, Joshua von Castle ’07, ’17 and ’23, who spoke at the commencement on behalf of the inaugural cohort of the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. “What may seem like good common sense has become an increasingly revolutionary idea in our world; to give and receive love. May we all, each of us present here today practice this, the most important work of our lives,” he continued. Von Castle recently accepted a position at Highlands Community Services in Abingdon, Va., where he will provide community mental health services focusing on various mental health and substance use needs.

Emory & Henry College is proud to celebrate the significant milestones reached by both the College and the honorable class of 2023. For more information on the Emory & Henry College School of Health Sciences and its programs, please visit www.ehc.edu/shs.

Open gallery

Emory & Henry School of Health Sciences awarded more than 100 advanced healthcare degrees to students in the Clinical Mental Health C...
Emory & Henry School of Health Sciences awarded more than 100 advanced healthcare degrees to students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies and Physical Therapy programs
“What may seem like good common sense has become an increasingly revolutionary idea in our world; to give and receive love. May we all, each of us present here today practice this, the most important work of our lives.”
-Joshua von Castle ’07, ’17 and ’23

Related Links

Location:

Abingdon, Virginia

Save & Share:

More News

  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/665-professor-michael-lane-releases-groundbreaking"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/409,0,1411,1003/5918_Michael_Lane.rev.1549029248.webp 2x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/409,0,1411,1003/5918_Michael_Lane.rev.1549029248.jpg 2x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/409,0,1411,1003/5918_Michael_Lane.rev.1549029248.jpg" alt="Michael Lane works with students in the chemistry lab." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/409,0,1411,1003/5918_Michael_Lane.rev.1549029248.jpg 2x" data-max-w="1002" data-max-h="1003" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/665-professor-michael-lane-releases-groundbreaking">Professor Michael Lane Releases Groundbreaking Work</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"><p>Professor of Chemistry, Michael Lane, has released a collaborative work on the strength of composite materials.</p><a href="/live/news/665-professor-michael-lane-releases-groundbreaking" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>
  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/717-emory-henry-college-holds-mid-appalachian"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/921,0,3059,2136/6043_Mid-Appalachian_Higher_Ed_Summit.rev.1551899402.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/921,0,3059,2136/6043_Mid-Appalachian_Higher_Ed_Summit.rev.1551899402.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/921,0,3059,2136/6043_Mid-Appalachian_Higher_Ed_Summit.rev.1551899402.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/921,0,3059,2136/6043_Mid-Appalachian_Higher_Ed_Summit.rev.1551899402.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/921,0,3059,2136/6043_Mid-Appalachian_Higher_Ed_Summit.rev.1551899402.jpg" alt="From left to right: Moderator Dr. Michael Puglisi of Emory & Henry College, Dr. Dean Sprinkle, President of Wytheville Community Coll..." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/921,0,3059,2136/6043_Mid-Appalachian_Higher_Ed_Summit.rev.1551899402.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/921,0,3059,2136/6043_Mid-Appalachian_Higher_Ed_Summit.rev.1551899402.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2138" data-max-h="2136" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/717-emory-henry-college-holds-mid-appalachian">Emory & Henry College holds Mid-Appalachian Higher Ed Summit</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"> For the first time in the Mid-Appalachian region, leaders of nine higher education institutions gathered to look at the state of higher education, demographic and economic trends, and workforce and career development needs in the region. <a href="/live/news/717-emory-henry-college-holds-mid-appalachian" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>
  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/349-oquinn-challenges-college-to-conquer-new-frontiers"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/300,0,2438,2136/3620_Israel_OQuinn.rev.1521739891.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/300,0,2438,2136/3620_Israel_OQuinn.rev.1521739891.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/300,0,2438,2136/3620_Israel_OQuinn.rev.1521739891.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/300,0,2438,2136/3620_Israel_OQuinn.rev.1521739891.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/300,0,2438,2136/3620_Israel_OQuinn.rev.1521739891.jpg" alt="Israel O'Quinn speaks at Founders Day 2018" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/300,0,2438,2136/3620_Israel_OQuinn.rev.1521739891.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/300,0,2438,2136/3620_Israel_OQuinn.rev.1521739891.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2138" data-max-h="2136" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/349-oquinn-challenges-college-to-conquer-new-frontiers">O’Quinn Challenges College to Conquer New Frontiers</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"><p> In the 181 years of existence, Emory & Henry College has had many opportunities to conquer new frontiers, according to Virginia House Delegate Israel O’Quinn (’02), the keynote speaker during the annual Founders Day celebration.</p><a href="/live/news/349-oquinn-challenges-college-to-conquer-new-frontiers" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>
  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/280-emory-henry-college-opens-interfaith-prayer"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3171_InterfaithPrayerRoom16_2.rev.1518211260.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3171_InterfaithPrayerRoom16_2.rev.1518211260.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3171_InterfaithPrayerRoom16_2.rev.1518211260.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3171_InterfaithPrayerRoom16_2.rev.1518211260.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3171_InterfaithPrayerRoom16_2.rev.1518211260.jpg" alt="Student Safa Farhoumand helps dedicate the Interfaith Prayer Room." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3171_InterfaithPrayerRoom16_2.rev.1518211260.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3171_InterfaithPrayerRoom16_2.rev.1518211260.jpg 3x" data-max-w="3200" data-max-h="2133" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/280-emory-henry-college-opens-interfaith-prayer">Emory & Henry College Opens Interfaith Prayer Room</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"><p> Equipped with chairs, tables, prayer rugs and religious texts, a room in the lower-level of Memorial Chapel on the Emory & Henry College campus is now available for students of all faiths to have a quiet place to pray and meditate.</p><a href="/live/news/280-emory-henry-college-opens-interfaith-prayer" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>
  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/313-eamphs-wehc-launches-spring-fund-drive"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3409_Sam-Mungai-February-2018-IMG003.rev.1519990134.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3409_Sam-Mungai-February-2018-IMG003.rev.1519990134.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3409_Sam-Mungai-February-2018-IMG003.rev.1519990134.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3409_Sam-Mungai-February-2018-IMG003.rev.1519990134.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3409_Sam-Mungai-February-2018-IMG003.rev.1519990134.jpg" alt="Student Sam Mungai hosts a weekly call-in music request radio show on WEHC 90.7FM." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3409_Sam-Mungai-February-2018-IMG003.rev.1519990134.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2133/3409_Sam-Mungai-February-2018-IMG003.rev.1519990134.jpg 3x" data-max-w="3200" data-max-h="2133" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/313-eamphs-wehc-launches-spring-fund-drive">E&H’s WEHC Launches Spring Fund Drive</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"> WEHC 90.7, Emory & Henry College’s “College and Community Station,” has launched it spring fund drive. Between now and March 9 the station is planning to raise a good share of its annual fundraising goal. <a href="/live/news/313-eamphs-wehc-launches-spring-fund-drive" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>
  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/276-deadline-extended-until-march-1-for-swva-lift"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1200,800/2658_Lift-SWVA.jpg.rev.1518186593.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1200,800/2658_Lift-SWVA.jpg.rev.1518186593.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1200,800/2658_Lift-SWVA.jpg.rev.1518186593.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1200,800/2658_Lift-SWVA.jpg.rev.1518186593.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1200,800/2658_Lift-SWVA.jpg.rev.1518186593.jpg" alt="A map shows the counties, cities and towns covered by the SWVA Lift program." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1200,800/2658_Lift-SWVA.jpg.rev.1518186593.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1200,800/2658_Lift-SWVA.jpg.rev.1518186593.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1200" data-max-h="800" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/276-deadline-extended-until-march-1-for-swva-lift">Deadline Extended Until March 1 for SWVA Lift</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"><p> Emory & Henry College, exit 26 off I-81 in Emory, Va., has extended the deadline for its SWVA Lift initiative until March 1. The program helps make a top liberal arts education affordable for need-based students across Southwest Virginia at Emory & Henry.</p><a href="/live/news/276-deadline-extended-until-march-1-for-swva-lift" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>
  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/521-emory-henry-college-lands-in-four-national"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,1043,2133,3174/4542_Pocket-Folder-Cover-RGB_1_4.rev.1536594635.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,1043,2133,3174/4542_Pocket-Folder-Cover-RGB_1_4.rev.1536594635.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,1043,2133,3174/4542_Pocket-Folder-Cover-RGB_1_4.rev.1536594635.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,1043,2133,3174/4542_Pocket-Folder-Cover-RGB_1_4.rev.1536594635.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,1043,2133,3174/4542_Pocket-Folder-Cover-RGB_1_4.rev.1536594635.jpg" alt="Emory & Henry College campus view pictured here was ranked as one of the best liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,1043,2133,3174/4542_Pocket-Folder-Cover-RGB_1_4.rev.1536594635.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,1043,2133,3174/4542_Pocket-Folder-Cover-RGB_1_4.rev.1536594635.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2133" data-max-h="2131" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/521-emory-henry-college-lands-in-four-national">Emory & Henry College Lands in Four National College Rankings</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"> Emory & Henry College ranks among the best liberal arts colleges in the United States, according to the annual list of rankings released this week by <em>U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges</em>. <a href="/live/news/521-emory-henry-college-lands-in-four-national" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>
  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/668-emory-henry-announces-new-rn-to-bsn-program"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/1011,0,3148,2136/5941_RN-BSN-54.rev.1549910260.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/1011,0,3148,2136/5941_RN-BSN-54.rev.1549910260.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/1011,0,3148,2136/5941_RN-BSN-54.rev.1549910260.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/1011,0,3148,2136/5941_RN-BSN-54.rev.1549910260.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/1011,0,3148,2136/5941_RN-BSN-54.rev.1549910260.jpg" alt="Students at the School of Health Sciences campus in Marion, Va. Applications are now being accepted for the RN to BSN program. Apply now." width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/1011,0,3148,2136/5941_RN-BSN-54.rev.1549910260.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/83/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/1011,0,3148,2136/5941_RN-BSN-54.rev.1549910260.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2137" data-max-h="2136" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/668-emory-henry-announces-new-rn-to-bsn-program">Emory & Henry Announces New RN to BSN Program</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"> Due to an ever-demanding increased need for nurses in the region, Emory & Henry College has established its first-ever RN to BSN program and is now enrolling students to start classes this fall. <a href="/live/news/668-emory-henry-announces-new-rn-to-bsn-program" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>
  • <div class="lw_news_image"><span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/news/735-koch-uncovers-the-inequalities-of-food"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/38/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,492,2136,2630/6049_Shelley_Koch-2.rev.1552061534.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/38/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,492,2136,2630/6049_Shelley_Koch-2.rev.1552061534.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/38/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,492,2136,2630/6049_Shelley_Koch-2.rev.1552061534.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/38/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,492,2136,2630/6049_Shelley_Koch-2.rev.1552061534.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/38/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,492,2136,2630/6049_Shelley_Koch-2.rev.1552061534.jpg" alt="Shelley Koch" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/38/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,492,2136,2630/6049_Shelley_Koch-2.rev.1552061534.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/38/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,492,2136,2630/6049_Shelley_Koch-2.rev.1552061534.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2136" data-max-h="2138" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a></span></div><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_news_headline"><a href="/live/news/735-koch-uncovers-the-inequalities-of-food">Koch Uncovers the Inequalities of Food</a></h4><div class="lw_news_summary"><p>Dr. Shelley Koch has released her third book, <em>Gender and Food: A Critical Look at the Food System</em>. The book looks at different aspects of food and how it is affected by gender inequalities.</p><a href="/live/news/735-koch-uncovers-the-inequalities-of-food" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div></div>