This year's newly minted graduates of universities and colleges across the country are entering a professional world facing unparalleled challenges.

So were told the 180 men and women who were granted degrees from Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) in a ceremony at Carnegie Hall June 2. Their numbers included 92 granted the degree of doctor of medicine, 13 the degree of M.D.-Ph.D., 58 Ph.D. degrees and 17 master's degrees.

But, said Cornell President David J. Skorton speaking at the ceremony, the WCMC graduates, along with their classmates from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, have distinguished themselves for having the education, skills, will and determination to meet those challenges head on.

"Weill Cornell Medical College, its faculty, staff, students and alumni must continue to be at the forefront of the nation's public policy debate," Skorton said in his address to the graduates. "You must think more broadly and creatively on how your efforts can bring help to more people in more places at lower costs. We are enormously proud of you for what you have accomplished and we look to you for your leadership in the future."

Skorton said that as health care costs continue to rise and the number of uninsured Americans grows, the strategies to combat those problems -- an increased focus on primary care, electronic health records, and the continued search for safe, effective therapies for all diseases -- are being practiced every day at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, WCMC's medical partner.

Anne Marie Hein, the student speaker from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, noted that for all she and her classmates have learned along their rigorous academic path, there is much they still do not know and much left to contribute to the worlds of science and discovery.

"Scientific research is the immersion into the unknown," Hein said. "We may not have found every answer, but we all have been successful in adding our own pieces to the puzzle. Big discoveries are made by asking big questions, accepting the limitations of our own knowledge and wading even deeper into the unknown."

Thomas Neely, the medical college student chosen by his classmates to speak on their behalf, said that a WCMC degree is an invitation to accomplish great things.

"Fellow doctors, let's do good. Let's do well to better this profession we have chosen and sacrificed greatly to be part of," he said.

The evening before commencement, the visiting Qatar students gathered with friends, family and Weill Cornell faculty for a celebratory dinner. All the Qatar students that applied for residency matched to top-flight programs, just as their Weill Cornell colleagues did. Two Qatari students elected to spend a year doing research.

Following the dinner, Javaid I. Sheikh, interim dean of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, told the graduates: "As you proceed and pursue your specialties, you'll find that you are learning new languages, new skills. There is the potential to become very insulated. But I must ask you to be very mindful of keeping a broad perspective. Take the time to look up at your environment and spend time with your family and friends. This will make you better people, better friends and better doctors."