Dear alumni and friends,
Happy New Year! As we embark on a brand new year, I would like to take the opportunity to share some updates and plans with our Gator Nursing alumni and friends. As you may have heard, in October the University of Florida launched the “Go Greater” campaign to raise $3 billion by 2022. The College of Nursing is participating in this ambitious endeavor with our own goal of $22 million to fund advancements in nursing education, research and patient care.
This is a lofty goal for our College, but, as we all know, Gator Nurses can do anything. I am excited to take part in and help lead our College of Nursing through this pivotal time. To prepare, we have identified five areas within the College of Nursing to advance and improve our mission. Here is how the College of Nursing is taking aims to Go Greater:
- Center for Palliative Care Research and Education: The goal of palliative care is to ease patient suffering and comfort families — core values of the nursing profession. The center’s mission is to reduce the burden of dealing with health issues, optimize dignity and quality of life for those with serious illnesses, and ease stress on caregivers.
- Innovation and Learning Laboratory: Cutting-edge simulation technologies and lab equipment in the Nursing Resource Center, along with the highest-quality distance learning applications, will allow college faculty to combine teaching talent with innovation.
- Archer Family Health Care: Funding for the college’s nurse-managed practice makes it possible for UF nurses to deliver affordable comprehensive primary care for the underserved and uninsured in rural North Florida.
- Faculty Support: Endowed professorships help recruit and retain faculty who excel in research and teaching. These endowments provide funding streams for student stipends, research, equipment and other program enhancements.
- Student Support: The college’s Bachelor’s-to-Ph.D. and Bachelor’s-to-Doctor of Nursing Practice programs attract graduates into doctoral study. The goal is to provide students with financial resources to continue their studies without the stress of full-time employment.
I ask you to imagine a world where health care is delivered by nurses who have been educated by world-renowned leaders on state-of-the-art equipment and supported by groundbreaking research. At the UF College of Nursing, this is exactly what we are doing, but we can’t do it without your help. Our alumni and friends hold the power to make dreams come true for our students. The future of nursing is in your hands.
Please consider supporting our nurses of tomorrow. Click here to give online.
We look forward to working with you to help the College of Nursing Go Greater in 2018.
Anna McDaniel
Dean and the Linda Harman Aiken Professor