In recognition of nearly two decades of Nursing School Dean Jeanette Lancaster's dedicated service, Nursing alumna Rebecca Ruegger donated $500,000 to the school for faculty research. The Nursing School hopes to raise an additional $500,000 to match Ruegger's donation, resulting in a total of $1 million that will go to create the Jeanette Lancaster Fund for Faculty Excellence.
Ruegger, who graduated in 1973, said her gift is intended to honor Lancaster and other members of the Nursing School faculty for their role in shaping students' lives.
"When I reflect back on my experience [at the University], it was really the faculty that were so critical in inspiring me and my career in nursing," she said. "This donation makes me feel very rewarded in a way that not only acknowledges Dean Lancaster but also the role faculty play in nursing education [at] both undergraduate and graduate levels."
Lancaster praised Ruegger's decision to support the nursing faculty through the donation.
"This is an especially meaningful and beneficial gift," Lancaster said. "Often our faculty has great ideas, and to begin the process of developing those ideas and evaluating their usefulness, [it] needs some funding. This gift will enable the school to support new ideas for both teaching and research."
Ruegger said she was also inspired by Lancaster's efforts to locally address the nationwide problem of nurse shortages.
"Dean Lancaster really created a vision for excellence in nursing and helped address the nursing shortage, which is a crisis that I understand as a nurse myself," she said.
Nursing School Director of Communications Dory Hulse said the donation will support innovative ideas and initiatives among nursing faculty members.
Both Hulse and Ruegger said the funding is not intended to support only one specific type of research.
"It's important that it's a gift that really allows faculty who are interested in doing research to feel at liberty to come up with areas where they see the most pressing need," Ruegger said.
Meanwhile, Hulse is optimistic about the school's fundraising efforts to match Ruegger's $500,000, citing past success.
"Last year was our best year ever for fundraising; we raised $5.5 million," she said. "Donors typically step up to the plate when they see someone has started a fund, and they do well with matching that."
Hulse also said Lancaster's reputation makes it easier for the school to raise funding.
"Dean Lancaster is widely recognized for her extraordinary leadership, not just in the School of Nursing but in the overall profession," Hulse said. "It's not just that she's the longest-tenured of the current deans, but that she is highly respected and very loved."
Lancaster, who plans to step down from her position as dean in the spring, said she sees the fund as an important tool for those who follow in her footsteps.
"We are so grateful to Ms. Ruegger, and we are optimistic that we will raise the remainder needed to make this a $1 million fund," she said.
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