arizona state university news release
Alumni Plan to “Light up the Night” for Homecoming
PHOENIX, October 9, 2007 -- It was September 1957 … Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States … Barry Goldwater was a U.S. Senator for Arizona … In hospitals, the only oxygen available came from large cylinders … All intravenous solutions came in glass bottles with a glass drip chamber where the infusion rate was controlled by a metal clip … Rubber gloves were considered extravagant and only used in operating rooms … ICU/CCU had not yet been invented and if a patient arrested on the ward they were dragged out of the bed and placed face down on the floor …and on September 22, 1957, six students attended the first nursing class at ASU.
All of the preceding facts are history except for the last. ASU nursing continues to make history today!
Alumni, faculty, emeriti, staff, students, and friends of the College have joined to kick off the celebration of the Golden 50th Anniversary of the start of that small nursing college which has grown into one of the largest and most innovative colleges in the United States. The theme of the celebration is 50 Years of Dreaming, Discovering, and Delivering.
Since that day in 1957, more than 7,600 nurses have been graduated from College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation educational programs. More than 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students are enrolled this fall semester.
"It is a privilege to be Dean at ASU as our college marks 50 years of remarkable achievements that have contributed so positively to the health of five decades of patients as well as the nursing profession,” Dean Bernadette Melnyk said, "It is because of the wonderful foundation that was built together by leadership, faculty and staff in the College over the past decades that we have been able to make so many transformational innovations during the past two years."
Loretta Bardewyck, the first dean of the college, recalled when the small school of nursing started 50 years ago in the basement of Matthews Hall. "When the college started, nurses also were in short supply and most nurses received their diplomas from hospitals and had no other choice," Bardewyck, who was dean through 1971, said. "In 50 years, academic programs at universities have become the main education channel but with many opportunities to develop career specialties. What seemed an impossible dream 50 years ago is reality today."
Other deans who led the ASU College of Nursing include Juanita Murphy, 1971-1983; Janelle Krueger, 1984-1992; and Barbara Durand, 1992-2004.
"The roots of excellence are deep and the growth of the College in education, scholarship and practice has been made possible by a long list of contributors," said Barbara Durand, the fourth dean of the college. "In addition to the dedicated efforts of college faculty, today's successes would not have been possible without the significant support of the university and of our wonderful community partners. The ASU College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation is definitely on the map and growing in stature every day."
Colleen Keller PhD, BSN (1975), RN, FNP and Joey Ridenour, MS, BSN (1969), RN are serving as co-chairs of the 50th Anniversary Steering Committee. Keller is currently a professor of nursing at ASU and director of the Center for Healthy Outcomes in Aging at the College and the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence. Ridenour is executive director of the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
golden goals
Keller and Ridenour said the goals of the 50th anniversary celebration at ASU are threefold. "We want to remember and celebrate the past and present achievements of our colleagues, reconnect alumni across the country with our College and University, and to further improve patient outcomes over the next 50 years," the co-chairs stated.
The 50th Anniversary leadership has provided varied and easy-to-use tools for alumni and others to become involved in the celebration. For example, the college web site features the anniversary and offers alumni interactive opportunities to help construct a "living history" of the college by contributing individual stories of educational and career experiences and completing the College’s history timeline.
The Outstanding Nurse Awards and Candle Lighting Ceremony are the most recent additions to the anniversary celebration calendar. ASU alumni nominated more than 120 fellow alumni as well as graduates from other universities for their service, professional dedication, and personal commitment to quality healthcare. To spread the word about the anniversary, a 50th anniversary commemorative pin was sent to both nominators and nominees.
"Each of us has worked with a nursing colleague who has made a significant difference in patient care, taught us kindness by example, and benchmarked the importance of our nursing profession in their daily work," Professor Keller said. "Many of us, and our families, have received care from nurses who are testaments to what our profession believes. The nomination of these individuals to honor them will highlight the mark they have made on nursing in our communities."
light up the night on october 19
All Outstanding Nurse nominees will be honored at the 50th Golden Anniversary Alumni Reception on Friday evening October 19, 2007, sponsored by the ASU Alumni Association, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Scottsdale Healthcare System, the Hospice of the Valley, and the College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation. The event will be held at 6 p.m. on the patio of the Nursing & Healthcare Innovation Building in downtown Phoenix. The Anniversary Steering Committee has invited all nominators to attend the October 19 ceremony to light a candle to honor his or her nominee and acknowledgement of their colleagues. ASU nursing alumni, faculty and students hope to light up the evening Phoenix sky through this honor to nurses and the nursing profession.
other activities in process
Several other activities are being planned to celebrate the Golden anniversary, two endowed professorships to honor former faculty Nancy Melvin and B Steffl, special employee events and community service activities, commemorative pins, a DVD of highlights and developments in the College history, and other commemorative items. A request also is planned for a proclamation of "Arizona Nursing Day." A special anniversary reception also is being planned in conjunction with the 9th annual EBP National/International Conference scheduled for February 13-15, 2008, in the Phoenix area.
grand finale
A 50th Anniversary Golden Gala Dinner on Friday, April 25, 2008 at the Arizona Biltmore will conclude the celebration. Special presentations, awards and entertainment will highlight the event. Entertainment will be provided the Capitol Steps, a nationally recognized comedy team that has recorded 27 albums and been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS.
"Our achievements in the past 50 years belong to all of us," Dean Melnyk noted. "However, our history lives on in today’s alumni, faculty and students which makes the next 50 years of tomorrows truly exciting."
Media Contact:
Terry.Olbrysh@asu.edu
(602) 496-0877
