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f
there ever was a reason for School of Nursing alumni to raise a
toast, it was Emory Weekend 2005. For four festive days last May,
alumni, students, staff, and faculty joined together to hold class
reunions and applaud nursing graduates during the nursing school’s
100th anniversary.Though the school’s official birthday was
not until August 16 (the date the school was established in 1905),
alumni and graduates still had much to celebrate.
The weekend began with an Alumni Centennial
Celebration as Georgia state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver read a proclamation
recognizing the school during its 100th year. “The state of
Georgia has a lot to thank you for,” Oliver said, noting the
school’s contributions to nursing education, research, and
patient care.
The evening definitely belonged to
alumni, including those from the Class of 1955 and the Class of
1980, who observed their 50th and 25th reunions, respectively, and
two special nurses honored by the Nurses Alumni Association (NAA).
“It really did take a village
for me to become a nurse,” said Jane Clark, 67Ox, 71N, 80MN,
who received the NAA’s Award of Honor. Clark is a former assistant
professor in the School of Nursing, where she taught oncology nursing
to graduate students and coordinated the pediatric oncology major.
She also made her mark in patient care at Emory University Hospital,
where she helped define the nurse’s role in bone marrow transplantation
and maintain high standards of care for all cancer patients. Now
retired from Emory Hospital, Clark continues to conduct review courses
for the Oncology Nursing Society throughout the country and works
on behalf of the Georgia Cancer Coalition and other organizations. |
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The
NAA also recognized nursing leader and author Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee,
69MN, with the Distinguished Nursing Achievement Award. Neidel-Greenlee
served with the federal government for 30 years, primarily at the
Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), where she held a
number of leadership positions. Her experiences at the VAMC fueled
her passion for historical writing and nurses in the military. In
2003, Neidel-Greenlee and Dr. Evelyn Monahan, 79T, a former VAMC
counseling psychologist, published And If I Perish: Frontline
U.S. Army Nurses in World War II, one of three books they have
written about nurses in uniform. And If I Perish has been
recognized by the Book of the Month Club, the History Book Club,
and the Georgia Writers Association.
The honors and rights of passage continued
throughout Emory Weekend as Class of 2005 graduates received their
nursing pins and their diplomas. And there were more honors. During
the diploma ceremony, instructor Barbara Kaplan received the Emory
Williams Award, the university’s most prestigious award for
teaching. Kaplan is known for her work in preparing students for
clinical decision-making and hands-on care using patient simulation
(see related story on page 8). The university also presented an
honorary doctor of science degree to Dr. Sue Hegyvary, 66MN, professor
and dean emeritus of the University of Washington School of Nursing
in Seattle and editor of the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. A skilled
researcher, Hegyvary recently developed an explanatory model using
resources, empowerment, and demography as determinants of health
outcomes in nearly 200 countries. |
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Students
shone in the spotlight as well, including BSN graduate Natalia Townsend,
recipient of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Award for
pediatric nursing. Christy Bottoms, another BSN graduate, received
the Silver Bowl Award, presented by the NAA for excellence in academics,
nursing leadership, and patient care. The Associates, community
members who provide scholarship support for students, presented
a second Silver Bowl Award to Jennifer Vallidis, who exemplifies
the same qualities at the master’s level.
The Class of 2005 now holds a place in Emory history as the 99th
class to graduate from the School of Nursing. “We are the
Class of 2005 and we are the future of caring now,” noted
Greg Whitlock,
05N, vice president of the baccalaureate class, referring to the
school’s Centennial tagline.
That sentiment was not lost on Andrea
Higham, a leader with Johnson & Johnson and this year’s
diploma ceremony speaker. “I know you will put this fantastic
education to good use,” said Higham, noting the school’s
evolution from a small training school with 10 students to one with
200 graduates annually. “You will all touch lives in more
ways than you can imagine.”
Higham, who directs Johnson &
Johnson’s Campaign for Nursing’s Future, worked closely
with Dean Marla Salmon to help launch a company campaign in the
Caribbean to recruit and retain nurses in that region. “When
you leave here today,” Higham told graduates, “you have
an obligation to care for yourself, your family, your profession,
your fellow nurses, and your community. As Emory University President
James Wagner said earlier today, you have an obligation to do good.”
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The
Class of 2005 is living up to that expectation. For the school’s
Centennial, BSN and MSN graduates designated their class gift be
used to support the Centennial Scholarship Fund to help future nursing
students come to Emory. Together, graduating students contributed
$3,200 to the scholarship fund, which Salmon pledged to match. Other
contributors include Higham, who provided a $4,000 gift; the NAA,
which provided $3,600 in proceeds from this year's Oh Nellie Fun
Run; and alumni and other friends. Gifts and pledges to date total
$71,000.
“I am personally touched by
your gift,” Salmon told graduates in parting. “You truly
are the future of caring.”—Pam
Auchmutey
To
learn more about the Centennial Scholarship Fund, contact Kim Julian
at (404) 727-6185, (877) 676-0004 (toll free), or
kjulian@emory.edu. |
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