F r o m t h e D e a n
Dean Marla Salmon
A
Monument to Caring
During the past few
months, as we moved into our new building for the Nell Hodgson Woodruff
School of Nursing and prepared for its dedication this spring, we have
sensed a beauty here that goes beyond physical appearance. I’m not
sure that we really understood why until one of our staff members raised
a very important question: “What are we dedicating this building
to?” We have since become explicit in our answers.
First, and perhaps most important, this building is dedicated to the vision,
spirit, and commitment of Nell Hodgson Woodruff. More than ever, our school
and our new building embody a belief that Mrs. Woodruff held throughout
her life: that nursing is special, particularly at Emory.
Second, we dedicate this building to our students and their education.
It is designed to welcome and support current, past, and future students
who have chosen nursing as a career and an avenue for making a difference
in the lives of others.
Third, we dedicate this building to the school’s 97-year history
and those whose leadership and commitment provide the foundation on which
we build today and tomorrow.
Fourth, we dedicate this building to our faculty and staff. It is through
their work that we have and will continue to discover better ways to care,
teach, and practice nursing. Our faculty and staff are the ongoing life
of the school, and this building brings them together with students in
all phases of our work—research, teaching, and service. We are enriched
by the partnerships that this building fosters with our colleagues and
collaborators in the Rollins School of Public Health, through their proximity
and the ways in which we share resources.
We also dedicate this building to those who have planned and created it
and our many friends and alumni who have helped make it and our school
possible. They have provided the means to construct a spectacular building,
and their spirit and generosity are embedded in this structure and the
work that we do here.
There is one additional purpose to which we dedicate this building. It
is a monument to caring and its importance within society, the university,
and the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. It is also the place in which
the art and science of caring will be advanced through the efforts of
all who work here. I doubt there has ever been another building that is
better loved than this one.
Marla Salmon, ScD,
RN, FAAN
Dean, Nell Hodgson
Woodruff School of Nursing
