Celebrating a Century
School of Nursing marks milestone with centennial gala
Writer: Matthew Merchant
It was an evening 100 years in the making.
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing celebrated the centennial of its namesake endowment with a gala at Tinkham Veale University Center during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend in October.
During the program, Dean Carol Musil, PhD, RN (NUR 79; GRS 91, nursing), announced a $5 million scholarship campaign that will benefit students pursuing nursing degrees at 窪蹋勛圖厙. (In fact, it launched that night, with a live auction raising more than $15,000 toward the effort.)
Scholarships are a critical part of our students education and why we continue to seek financial support from our alumni and donors, said Musil, also the Edward J. and Louise Mellen Professor of Nursing. From the moment Frances Payne Bolton decided to help establish an independent school of nursing in 1923, we have fostered a dedication to experiential learning, research and leadership that has advanced the nursing discipline beyond what Frances could have imagined.
In addition to the scholarship campaign launch, Musil also revealed a $1 million commitment from Beth and David Daigle to establish a Clinical Scholars Excellence Fund, which will be used to recruit and retain doctorally prepared, clinically focused faculty (read more about this in To Recruit and Retain.)
Speakers at the galaincluding the universitys Interim Provost Joy K. Ward, who opened the event, and President Eric W. Kaler at a pre- dinner receptionfocused on the schools past, present and future.
The school recognized the influence of Boltons gift over the decades by acknowledging three former deansJoyce Fitzpatrick, PhD, RN (MGT 92), who was dean from 1982 to 1998; May Wykle, PhD (NUR 62, 69; GRS 81, education), who held the role from 2001 to 2011; and Mary E. Kerr, PhD (GRS 91, nursing), dean from 2011 to 2018. Plus, they honored prominent alumni, including Barbara L. Nichols, RN (NUR 66), Erika Cheung, RN (NUR 12), Colleen Lener, DNP (NUR 12) and Susan Prion, EdD, RN (NUR 79)
Tonight is not just a night to celebrate our past and present, but to look to the future, said Musil. Our graduates span the globe, sharing the lessons learned in classrooms and clinical settings, and changing countless lives along the way.