The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis celebrated the Classes of 2025 and 2026 during commencement June 11 at the Mondavi Center in Davis.
UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May conferred degrees as graduates, certificate recipients, faculty, staff, family members and supporters gathered to mark the milestone.
This year’s graduating classes and certificate awardees included:
- 44 students receiving master’s degrees in nursing (whose program concluded in December)
- 63 future physician assistants
- 17 graduates earning Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees as family nurse practitioners
- six graduates receiving Doctor of Philosophy degrees and
- 41 nurse practitioners awarded certificates to provide mental health services.
“This ceremony also comes during an important moment in the history of our school. This year, we are celebrating 15 Years: Shaping What’s Next in Health Care,” said Stephen Cavanagh, dean of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. “Fifteen years ago, this school’s first classes arrived to fulfill a bold idea — attracted to a new kind of health professions school, one rooted in leadership, research, collaboration and bold system change.”
Graduates enter healthcare at a time of need
Standing before hundreds in attendance, Cavanagh traced the school’s growth since its first students arrived in 2010. At the time, the school had two programs, 33 students and no alumni. Today, its graduates serve in clinics, hospitals, communities, classrooms, labs and leadership roles across the healthcare spectrum.
Cavanagh told graduates they are entering a field shaped by workforce shortages, unequal access to care, rising complexity and fast-changing technology. The multiple challenges, he added, create a need for leaders who can think clearly, collaborate and keep people at the center of care.