The University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine's 60-member inaugural class began their first day of classes Monday, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Officials said the inaugural class is comprised of students primarily from Nevada. The group also maintains a collective average MCAT score of 508 and a 3.6 grade point average for their pre-med course work. Approximately 20 percent of the class are Latino, while 8 percent are black, the report states. Each student was also awarded a full-ride scholarship for all four years of their medical education.
Officials held a celebration to commemorate the occasion. During the ceremony, students received a stethoscope which will serve as a "constant companion" during their time in medical school and thereafter, according to the report.
The medical instruments were donated a local physician, who also delivered the keynote address during the ceremony.
Officials green lit the proposed medical school in 2013, according to the report. Dr. Barbara Atkinson, MD, became dean of the medical school in 2015 and has overseen numerous fundraising efforts to get the school up and running, including securing a $25 million anonymous donation in June.
Dr. Atkinson missed the ceremony Monday due to a recent hospitalization for a ruptured intestine. However, UNLV President Len Jessup, PhD, attended the ceremony.