Giving to the College > Funding Priorities for the College of Nursing
- Excellence in Faculty Leadership for Research and Teaching Initiatives
- Graduate Fellowships and Scholarships
- Excellence and Leadership in Nursing Research Initiatives
- Community-based Practice Initiatives
- Undergraduate Support
- Dean's Excellence Fund
- New Building Support
Excellence in Faculty Leadership for Research and Teaching Initiatives
Professorship endowments for the College will help us recruit and retain premiere faculty members that excel in research and teaching environments. Professorship endowments will provide the necessary funding for competitive salaries and program initiatives for each of these nursing leaders.
Examples of current professorships are:
- The Dorothy M. Smith Professorship for Excellence in Teaching and Practice
To give, click here - The Kirbo Endowed Chair in Oncology Nursing
- The Annabelle Davis Jenks Endowed Chair in Child Health Nursing
- The Prairieview Trust Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Nursing
Graduate Fellowships and Scholarships
As the national nursing faculty shortage continues, recruiting and retaining talented faculty members will continue to be a challenge. One initiative of the College is to entice our brightest students to continue to pursue graduate studies via the BSN to PhD fast track. By providing a variety of graduate study tracks, students have options when considering educational and career goals. It is the goal of the College to provide each graduate student with the needed financial resources to continue their studies so that they may pursue a number of career options. We anticipate that many will elect positions educating future generations of nurse professionals.
Excellence and Leadership in Nursing Research Initiatives
The College was recently ranked #30th in the nation for receiving National Institutes of Health funding for nursing research and the College has a funded Center for Biobehavioral Research. Private funding is necessary to carry the College beyond federally funded grants so that we may continue to enhance nursing research programs. Our faculty members work with other departments on the health science center campus to focus on such topics as: Alzheimer's, pain assessment in nursing home residents, exercise for the frail elderly, hypertension reduction, family care for Autistic children. Nursing research provides the mechanism for applying scientific knowledge to patient care.
Community-based Practice Initiatives
For both undergraduate and graduate nursing students, practice sites serve as extended classrooms, where they can join faculty members in providing care. Twenty-two faculty members work at more than 20 sites across the region. Faculty members provide health care to underserved populations in urban and rural settings. Patients include acutely ill newborns, HIV and AIDS patients, pregnant teens, adults with mental illnesses, elderly people with disabilities and sensory impaired children. The most recent addition to the college's clinical practice sites is Archer Family Health Care, the college's first nurse-managed primary care practice. Private giving can assist with operational funds, adding necessary capital improvements, and providing necessary health care products and services to the patients we serve.
Undergraduate Support
As tuition costs rise, the financial burden carried by a student in the College of Nursing can be overwhelming. It is a goal of the College to have the resources to provide scholarships for 100% of our nursing students in order to recruit the brightest students and allow them to meet their career goals. The need for new nurses is a state and national priority. Scholarship endowments will provide a perpetual income stream for the College to carry out its goal for the education of many future generations of nursing students.
Dean's Excellence Fund
As nursing education continues to evolve, emphasis on certain priorities can shift rapidly. With the Dean's Excellence Fund, the College can quickly react to these changes without negatively impacting the quality of education and programs we offer our students. The Dean's Excellence Fund has previously funded projects and initiatives such as faculty retreats and strategic planning projects, consultants and professional development activities for students and faculty.
New Building Support
Our new state-of-the-art building provides the up-to-date technology and teaching facilities that are necessary to educate nursing students within a rapidly changing health care environment. Private funding for the nursing skills lab and distance learning labs will allow the College to purchase state-of-the-art equipment so that we remain on the cutting edge of educational innovation.