Cabaniss Dinner Recognizes Donors and New Clinical Scholars Program
The annual Sadie Heath Cabaniss Society Dinner featured special recognition of several new Distinguished Cabaniss Society members, as well as the announcement of a new program to help raise funds for recruiting and retaining the brightest clinical faculty to the VCU School of Nursing.
More than 150 alumni, faculty, students and friends of the VCU School of Nursing attended the dinner held recently at the Jefferson Hotel. Guest speakers included Sheldon Retchin, M.D., MSPH, chief executive officer of the VCU Health System and vice president for Health Sciences; Nancy Langston, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the VCU School of Nursing; and Corinne Dorsey (B.S. ’54), chair of the Cabaniss Leadership Challenge. VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., offered welcome remarks at a pre-dinner reception.
Dean Langston presented the Cabaniss Cup to new Distinguished Cabaniss Society members, who are alumni and friends that donate $1,000 or more to the School of Nursing during the term of one fiscal year. The Cabaniss Cup is a miniature pewter loving cup modeled after one given to VCU Nursing founder Sadie Heath Cabaniss by the Class of 1901. This year’s recipients are Stephanie Ferguson, Ph.D. (M.S. ’87/N), director of the Community Nursing Organization at the School of Nursing; Mary Harris (B.S. ’66/N); and Mary Jane Cook, (B.S. ’52/N); as well as Kenneth Lucas (M.D. ’71) and his wife Ellen Lucas (B. S. ’71/N).
The Cabaniss dinner also included a special announcement to support the school’s fund raising efforts. Barbara H. Dunn, RN (B.S. ’70/N, Ph.D. ’84/SW), Judith B. Collins, M.S. RNC, FAAN (NP ’75) and her husband Joseph M. Teefey, announced the launch of the Clinical Scholars Program, the newest initiative of the Cabaniss Leadership Challenge.
The Cabaniss Leadership Challenge is a special campaign to raise $4 million in endowed funds for nursing scholarships, professorships and projects to enhance the VCU School of Nursing’s mission to improve health and the human condition through leadership in nursing research, education and service. Since the challenge began on July 10, 2010, the School of Nursing has raised more than $3.25 million toward the goal. The Clinical Scholars Program was created as part of the Challenge to provide flexible funds to recruit and retain the best and brightest clinical faculty to address the increased nationwide demands for baccalaureate prepared RNs, advance practice nurses (NPs) and nursing faculty.
“Our goal is to establish several Clinical Scholars funds to support VCU School of Nursing clinical faculty in the same way that endowed professorships support research faculty,” Collins said.
The first Clinical Scholars award will honor Emily C. “Mimi” Bennett (B.S. ’72/N, NP ’76). An alumna of the School of Nursing, Bennett retired on June 30, 2012 after 36 years as a nurse practitioner, serving the greater Richmond community. She touched the lives of thousands of patients and their families, nursing students and colleagues during her career as a nurse practitioner and educator.
To make a donation to the Clinical Scholars Program in honor of Mimi Bennett, to establish your own named fund or to donate to any existing School of Nursing endowment fund, please contact James Parrish, director of development, at (804) 828-5172.
The following photos are from this year’s event at the Jefferson Hotel.
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