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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (May 2, 2008) — Southern College of Optometry (SCO) president and Milligan College alumnus, Dr. Richard W. Phillips, will be the keynote speaker for Milligan’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10, at 6 p.m. in Seeger Memorial Chapel.
Prior to his appointment as president of SCO in May 2007, Phillips worked as an optometrist in the Tri-Cities region for 28 years. Thirteen of those years were spent in private practice as a partner with John Wilson Eye Clinic in Johnson City. He later served as executive director of Tri-Cities Laser Center, a subsidiary of The Laser Center (TLC), Inc., and as TLC’s regional executive director for Tennessee operations and regional clinical director advisor for the southeast United States.
Phillips is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (AOA) and serves as a member of their refractive surgery committee. He has received the Optometric Recognition Award from AOA each of the past 20 years. Additionally, he was named Tennessee’s Optometrist of the Year in 1998.
Phillips is a past president of the Tennessee Optometric Association, the Tennessee Academy of Optometry and Southern Council of Optometrists International. He has published many articles and lectured internationally on the subject of refractive surgery.
Phillips holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from Milligan College and a doctor of optometry degree from SCO. His professional memberships are many and his community and statewide service is extensive.
Class of 2008
Milligan will graduate 169 students. The spring 2008 graduates include 46 bachelor of arts (B.A.), 61 bachelor of science (B.S.), 28 bachelor of science in nursing (B.S.N.), nine master of education (M.Ed.), and 25 master of business administration (M.B.A.) degrees.
For more information visit www.milligan.edu, or call 423.461.8700.
