Students Share With Benefactors Their Dedication and Passion for Nursing

The School of Nursing recently hosted its annual donor luncheon to recognize donors who have given to student scholarships, research, educational programs and faculty development. Scholarships in particular enable the school to address the state’s nursing shortage by giving students the opportunity to pursue a nursing education.

Scholarship recipients Lauren Cox and Colleen Leclair-Smith, students in the school’s Second Degree and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, respectively, spoke about the impact scholarships have on their education. These students represent the School of Nursing’s student body that is passionate about health care and grateful to donors whose generosity helps them become professional nurses.

Originally from Sudan, Texas, Cox decided she wanted to see the impact of health care face to face, so she decided to become a nurse. She has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a master’s degree in molecular pathology.

Leclair-Smith is an engaged member of the Lubbock community and also serves as director of the Magnet Program and the Nursing Recruitment and Resource Pool at UMC Health System.

Other speakers at the luncheon were Texas Tech University System Chancellor Kent Hance, TTUHSC President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., and School of Nursing Dean Michael L. Evans, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, for Texas to meet projected demands for registered nurses, the state’s licensure educational programs must generate 25,870 new graduates by 2020.

The School of Nursing awarded 582 scholarships totaling $565,840 for fall 2013 and spring 2014. TTUHSC has the only nursing school on the South Plains that provides baccalaureate, masters and doctoral education. Last year, the school conferred 953 degrees.

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