Chippewa Valley Times

More than 100,000 students have graduated from ceremonies at Zorn Arena. On Saturday, two Mayo Clinic physicians addressed University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire graduates, emphasizing the importance of partnerships in achieving success. Dr. Richard Helmers, regional vice president for Mayo Clinic Health System in Wisconsin, and Dr. Tim Nelson, director of innovation for Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin, delivered the “Charge to the Class” to 1,485 graduates at three ceremonies.

Both Helmers and Nelson were recipients of honorary doctorates of science at the graduation exercises. Nelson, a 1998 graduate of UW-Eau Claire in biochemistry and molecular biology, highlighted that partnerships have been central to some of humanity's greatest achievements. He cited the example of a Mayo Clinic Health System team that collaborated in the 1950s to produce the world’s first practical heart-lung bypass machine.

Nelson urged graduates to leverage collaboration to drive positive change and "initiate the rippling effect that can be amplified and extended into future generations." He stated that profound transformations often arise from diverse minds and talents working together.

Helmers and Nelson have been key figures in the research collaboration between UW-Eau Claire and Mayo Clinic Health System. This partnership has launched over 100 research and clinical innovation projects aimed at improving patient health care outcomes.

“Chancellor (James) Schmidt often says that partnerships ‘succeed at the speed of trust’ — our UWEC/MCHS partnership has succeeded at the speed of trust our institutions and leaders have in each other,” said Helmers. He reminded graduates about inevitable challenges on their path to career success but encouraged them to view these as opportunities rather than setbacks.

During his commencement message, Schmidt praised the newest Blugold alumni for their resilience during a global pandemic transition from high school to college. He noted that they are part of a long legacy of changemakers who used this court as a launchpad.

The 100,000th UW-Eau Claire graduate crossed the stage during Saturday’s ceremonies, marking the final graduation exercises at Zorn Arena. The fall commencement in December for the 2024-25 academic year will be held at the new Sonnentag Event Center.

Rachel Kohn, who started signing at commencement in 1988, interpreted more than 170 commencement ceremonies for 72,000 Blugolds. Zachary May and Anna Wendorff, graduates of December 2023 and May 2023 respectively, have secured English teaching assistantships in Argentina and South Korea. Kyra Saylor is looking forward to a summer break before resuming her Blugold studies in the master's degree program for speech-language pathology this fall.