VCOM View Vol 10 No 1

Inaugural Class Matriculates The remaining faculty and staff positions were filled over the following months, and by June of 2020, VCOM-Louisiana was diligently preparing for its inaugural class, which would begin a few weeks later, on Monday, July 13, 2020. Then, with rigid safety precautions in place, the College opened its doors for the very first time to students for on-campus classes on Monday, August 10, 2020.

Despite the pandemic, the VCOM- Louisiana team pressed on toward their goal of opening their doors later that year. Faculty and staff who had spent months interviewing prospective students had to abruptly change to a fully remote interview process. This posed unique and significant challenges for recruiting students to the new campus, essentially sight unseen, and with no previous students to tout the advantages of a Louisiana Delta-based medical school.

“I don’t think anybody on campus was any more excited than I was, to have 155 of these bright young minds show up for a face-to- face beginning to an exciting four years,” said Morrison. “Of course, COVID has really put a quash on personal interaction with so many of the students,” Morrison added. Morrison said that he was praying that the pandemic would soon end and that everyone could get back to business as usual. “If not, I’m still looking for ways to adapt and

“ In only a couple of years, the students will begin clinical rotations in hospitals and clinics across the state and region.”

Top left: Orientation Drive-thru in preparation for online classes. Right and bottom left: First day of socially distanced in-person classes.

summer/fall 2020 | VCOM V iew M agazine 11