WHAT: The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing will host a luncheon to recognize donors who have given to School of Nursing student scholarships, research, educational programs and faculty development.

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 20 (Monday)

WHERE: International Cultural Center Hall of Nations, 601 Indiana Ave.

EVENT: Texas and the nation are facing a critical shortage of registered nurses.
Texas schools turned away 41 percent or 8,734 qualified applicants to nursing schools in 2009, according to the Texas Department of State
Health Services. To meet projected demands for RNs, Texas licensure educational programs must generate 15,199 new graduates by 2013 and 25,870 by 2020.

This luncheon honors donors who have supported student scholarships, research, programs and faculty development for the TTUHSC School of Nursing. Scholarships in particular enable the school to address the nursing shortage by giving students the opportunities to pursue a nursing education.

Scholarship recipients Amanda and Rebecca Padilla, students in the school’s traditional BSN program, will speak about the impact scholarships had in their lives. Other speakers include Steven L. Berk, M.D., School of Medicine dean, TTUHSC provost and executive vice president; Michael L. Evans, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, the new School of Nursing dean and UMC Health System Endowed Chair for Excellence in Nursing; and Christina Esperat, Ph.D., R.N., who holds The CH Foundation Regents Professorship in Rural Health Disparities.

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