- From the Nursing Alumni Association (AA) President
On April 9, 2011 we held our annual alumni business meeting and Distinguished Alumni Award celebration, honoring Colonel (Retired) Michael Calder (BA ’75 Biology, BSN ’77). Colonel Calder has over forty years of distinguished service to the United States of America, serving in all levels of leadership in the Army Nurse Corps. It was humbling and inspiring to be in the presence of such a decorated military man and distinguished alumni. His presentation on the rewards and challenges of military Nurse Corp deployment was fascinating. We are currently accepting nominations for the DAA for 2012 so go to http://nursing.uncg.edu/Alumni/nominationform.php and begin the process to nominate a candidate!
Earlier in the day participants also experienced the expertise of nationally known Lillee S. Gelinas, RN, BSN, MSN, FAAN, VP and CNO for VHA, who spoke about the October 2010 Institute of Medicine Report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advocating Health”. Lillee’s presentation was followed by a panel discussion by Debbie Grant RN, MSN, VP Nursing Cone Health; Eva Gomez, MSN, Staff Development Specialist, Children’s Hospital, Boston; Ernest Grant, MSN, Outreach Nurse Clinician and Staff Nurse, NC Jaycee Burn Center, current President of NCNA; Daria Kring, PhD, Director of Nursing Research, Forsyth Medical Center, and Sandra Ouellette, CRNA, MED, FAAN, past president of both International federation of Nurse Anesthetists and AA of Nurse Anesthetists, President of R & S Ouellette, Inc. Through the dynamic presentations of these panelists, attendees achieved a clearer sense of how “The Future of Nursing is in Our Hands”, the theme for the day! The day’s events also included tours of the campus, provided by the Reunion Weekend of the Woman’s College, and an exhibit of historical images and textiles related to the UNCG School of Nursing from The Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives. Next year’s event, scheduled for April 21, 2012, will be equally exciting, so don’t miss it!
The Alumni Association is pleased to announce the creation of the UNCG School of Nursing Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship in Nursing. It is our intention to have this fund endowed within five years. Donations to the Endowed Scholarship program will help nursing students pursue their degrees and recognize their dreams. Alumni received a special invitation to become Charter Members of this fund. We are proud to announce that we have close to 80 founding/charter members who creating this wonderful legacy gift in honor of all past, present and future nursing students and alumni.
2012 will be a very exciting year for the Alumni Association! Your Board is currently working on goals and objectives, which will focus on improving the visibility of the Alumni Association, and enhanced involvement of members in Alumni Association activities. Board members envision the implementation of a mentorship program for nursing students and new graduates, matching novice with expert practitioners in clinical, administrative, and advanced practice roles. Additionally, Board members will be mentoring individuals who aspire to hold a Board position at some time in the future, to assure we have a succession plan. The Program Committee will be very busy planning events for the year, and the Finance Committee will be raising funds to support scholarship programs and Alumni Association special events. We need your help! Please consider becoming actively involved in your SON alumni activities. You can keep up with us at http://nursing.uncg.edu/Alumni/welcome.php
Debbie Green, Cert ‘02
President, School of Nursing Alumni Association 2011-2013