When Jed Hansen, PhD, received the invitation to serve as keynote speaker for UNMC Graduate Studies December Honors Convocation Ceremony Dec. 19 he had an overwhelming feeling.
“There must be another Jed Hansen out there,” he said.
But no. Dr. Hansen an UNMC Graduate Studies alumnus, nurse practitioner and rural health advocate was exactly the right person to offer advice and insights to the soon-to-be graduating class of 2025.
Please click here for a photo album of the honors convocation.
Please click here for a video replay of the ceremony.
UNMC Graduate Studies honored a dozen soon-to-be graduates who were about to earn master’s degrees, more than two dozen with Master of Science degrees and more than 50 with Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The degrees were conferred later that day at UNMC’s December 2025 commencement.
The convocation included the traditional hooding of degree candidates by mentors.
Dr. Hansen, executive director, Nebraska Rural Health Association, assured the class of 2025 that it was ready to “do hard things” in part because its members had already done so during their respective educations at UNMC.
“Graduating from UNMC isn’t just a line on a resume,” he said. “It’s a signal. It’s proof that you’ve already endured hard things.”
Achieving these degrees is not easy, he said.
“It was hard because it mattered,” Dr. Hansen said. “It was hard because it required you to grow. It was hard because it asked something of you.”
He continued: “You are part of a generation that will accomplish much.
“You won’t’ do it all at once. You won’t do it alone. But you will do it with the same grit that got you here.”