Fairfield University School of Nursing launches Advisory Board and lecture series | Press Releases

Thanks to two grants from the McKeen Fund

The School of Nursing at Fairfield University will celebrate its 35th anniversary this year with two grants from the McKeen Fund, totaling $51,000, for the creation of an Advisory Board and an ongoing nursing lecture series. The new Advisory Board, which consists of an array of distinguished professionals with interests in healthcare and nursing, will be chaired by Greenwich resident Nancy Lynch, a fundraiser who specializes in the field of healthcare. The Board will formally begin its work this fall and the lecture series will kick off at the same time with celebrated neurologist and author Oliver Sacks scheduled to speak on Wednesday, October 26, 2005.

James Daly, a long-time friend of Fairfield University, former University Trustee, parent of three Fairfield graduates, and Trustee of the McKeen Fund, expressed his interest in helping to advance the School of Nursing about a year ago. The School had been working on a plan to create an Advisory Board to guide the school in its strategic planning and to assist in development related activities to help the School realize its long-term goals for growth. Part of this plan includes the establishment of a lecture series to increase awareness and understanding of the field of nursing and the role that Fairfield plays in educating nursing leaders. The McKeen Fund awarded the School $14,000 for the development of the Advisory Board and launched a $37,000 challenge grant toward the $74,000 three-year budget for the lecture series.

"The profession of nursing continues to play a more significant role in the delivery of healthcare," James Daly said. "The McKeen Fund is pleased to join with the University in recognizing the importance of supporting the Nursing Program."

"Fairfield University is most grateful to the McKeen Fund for supporting the work of the School of Nursing." said Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., president of Fairfield University.

"I also thank the members of the School's new Advisory Board for their willingness to donate their time and expertise to that school of the University which so wonderfully fulfills the mission of the University to be of service to others," Fr. von Arx said.

Both the Advisory Board and the series are designed to help the School meet the several challenges facing the nursing field including: the nursing shortage, the nursing faculty shortage, and the evolving role of the nurse.

"The need for more nurses nationwide continues to expand and the School of Nursing at Fairfield University has established an aggressive four-year plan to meet that demand," said Dean Jeanne Novotny, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. "The plan calls for updating the School's skills laboratory, establishing a new multimedia classroom and a demonstration classroom, upgrading our wireless classrooms and enhancing our curriculum. The Advisory Board, with a primary focus on fundraising, will help to accomplish these initiatives, and pursue continued development."

The board has secured nine members, but will eventually consist of twice that number. Already joined are:

Nancy P. Lynch is a volunteer in the field of development for nearly 30 years, concentrating in the field of healthcare. For the past three years, she has led the capital campaign for Greenwich Hospital as its Chairman. At Eagle Hill School, the foremost school in the country for children with learning disabilities, Nancy served on the Board of Trustees for 11 years and started their first Annual Giving Program. Nancy also sat on the boards and led the Development Committees of the Bruce Museum, the Family Centers of Greenwich, and The Convent of The Sacred Heart. Her husband Roger is a member of the Fairfield University Board of Trustees.
Moreen Donahue ND, RN is Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Greenwich Hospital.
Daniel Hayes , MD is the President and Managing Partner of the Maine Center for Cancer Medicine and Blood Disorders.
Robin Bennett Kanarek , BSN, RN, has worked in the fields of cardiology, spinal cord injury, insurance review, and, most recently, as a Certified Diabetes Educator at Stamford Hospital in Stamford.
Elner Morrell , BSN, RN, is a Senior Information System Project Manager at UnitedHealth Group and a member of the Fairfield University Board of Trustees.
Aimee Mueller , RN, BSN, BS, is a Fairfield University School of Nursing alumna who formerly worked in the field of toxicology for SmithKline Beecham and Pfizer, Inc.
Jeffrey F. Otis is a Vice President at Webster Bank in the area of Trust and Estate Administration and is the Administrator of the Paul L. Jones Fund.
Kathy Russo , R.T.R is a former Supervisor of the Emergency and Out Patient Radiology Department at Yale New Haven Hospital and a past member of Fairfield University's Trustees Advisory Council.
Claudia Schechter is a professional photographer and Vice President of The Schechter Foundation based in New York City.

The $14,000 grant funded a two-day retreat that took place at Fairfield University in June to acquaint the Advisory Board members with the intimate details of the School of Nursing, including its capabilities, its strategic direction and its funding needs going forward. The new board will work with faculty, administration, and the students, Lynch said.

"There has been tremendous growth in the school since its inception 35 years ago," Lynch said. "This is only going to enhance it and make it stronger."

The McKeen Fund launched a $37,000 challenge grant to help raise the funds necessary to implement a yearly lecture series featuring notable nurses and healthcare experts from across the country. To date $28,834 has been raised from friends, corporations, and alumni. The purpose of the series is to educate students, potential students and the general community about the fields of nursing and healthcare and present nursing as a career option that is vital to the health of the nation.

Among the many gifts Daly has committed to the University in the past are the establishment of the James and Denise Daly Nursing Scholarship, which supports students in the nursing school. Additionally, through his work associated with the Gladys Brooks Foundation, various programs have been supported including an endowed scholarship in Asian Studies, a Latin American and Caribbean Studies Library Endowment, and special support for the University's DiMenna-Nyselius Library.

The first speaker in the lecture series is Oliver Sacks , the world-renowned neurologist and best-selling author of "Awakenings" and "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat." He will speak on Wednesday, oct. 26, at 8 p.m. as part of the University's existing Open VISIONS Forum series of distinguished lecturers, a program of University College. Born in London, Sacks came to the United States in the 1960s, working for a time at Beth Abraham Hospital in New York City, where he encountered patients locked in odd frozen states. His work trying to release them through radical doses of medication led to his second book, "Awakenings," a bestseller later made into a popular film. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship for his continuing innovative work in neurology, Sacks has written nine books and is a frequent contributor to the New Yorker and the New York Times, which has dubbed him "the poet laureate of medicine."

The mission of the School of Nursing is to establish a caring, diverse academic learning environment that provides one of the world's highest standards of nursing education. The School's curriculum prepares future nurses at the baccalaureate and master's level in an exciting environment that not only includes classroom and clinical laboratory learning experiences on campus, but also opportunities to care for patients at numerous clinical sites. These sites are located in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and community agencies. Additionally, students are prepared for leadership roles in all health care settings. Other key aspects of the learning that takes place in the School of Nursing are the close relationship to clinical sites that offer internship programs for students during the summer months, the opportunity to interact with national nursing leaders who are present in the school at key points in time, and the study abroad programs which add to the value of a nursing education. This year, the School is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its founding. For more information, visit www.fairfield.edu, or call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2701.