[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6675]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE CHARTER CLASS GRADUATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL 
                      FLORIDA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL WEBSTER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 9, 2013

  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize 
the charter class of medical students at the University of Central 
Florida College of Medicine. The commencement ceremony and graduation 
of the charter class will take place on May 17, 2013, and will be an 
historic and celebratory moment for the UCF College of Medicine.
   The planning and development of the University of Central Florida 
College of Medicine was brought about as one way to address the 
shortage of physicians in the state of Florida. In 2005, the proposal 
for a College of Medicine was unanimously supported by the UCF Faculty 
Senate, and on May 30, 2006, the UCF College of Medicine was approved 
and established by Governor Jeb Bush. After receiving preliminary 
accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), 
in February 2008, the College of Medicine began recruiting students for 
the fall 2009 term. Less than four years ago, these same students 
donned their white coats to symbolize the beginning of their medical 
training. Now, after thousands of hours of rigorous study and practice, 
they will embark on the next phase of this journey--residency--before 
hopefully returning to the state of Florida to serve their local 
communities.
   The UCF Health Sciences Campus for the College of Medicine is 
located at Lake Nona's Medical City in southeast Orlando. As a new 
medical school, the college plays a vital part in the foundation and 
the growth of the Medical City at Lake Nona and is strongly supported 
by the entire Central Florida community. UCF College of Medicine has a 
vision to become the nation's premier 21st century college of medicine 
and a national leader in medical education and research. UCF's College 
of Medicine empowers its students to discover their healthcare 
specialty of choice for their upcoming residencies and, in doing so, 
further prepares them to enter the healthcare profession.
   I trust that the charter class of 2013 commencement will be an 
exciting day for the UCF community to celebrate their many exceptional 
accomplishments. On behalf of the citizens of Central Florida, it is my 
pleasure to congratulate President of UCF Dr. John Hitt, Dean of UCF 
College of Medicine Dr. Deborah German, the charter medical school 
graduates, and the facility and staff of the University of Central 
Florida College of Medicine on this outstanding accomplishment. I wish 
them all great success in their future pursuits.

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