More than 200 guests recently attended the Department of Nursing Program's third annual scholarship dinner, a fundraising event that celebrated nursing excellence in research and education. President Steven B. Sample welcomed guests and praised the Department of Nursing Program for rising to the challenges of meeting the growing shortage of baccalaureate and advanced practice nurses and providing quality health care to the urban community. The Pebley and Laster endowment will support excellence in education and advance the profession of nursing through scholarly research. The Lasters pledged their support on behalf of their daughter Denise, a USC alumna who received her BS in nursing in 1994.
Nurses are really on the front lines.
She said that playing a nurse was a much more complicated role than she'd imagined, because nurses often must make critical decisions and provide complex care to patients and families. Crawford then teamed up with Maryalice Jordan-Marsh, associate chair of nursing, to present the Nursing Team Excellence Awards. Norene Zapanta, chair of the Nursing Advisory Board, was honored for her innovative leadership, philanthropy, and personal dedication as a volunteer for the nursing program. The evening also featured fine wines donated from Ironstone Vineyards and piano music by Stanley Azen, director of the USC biometry and statistical consultation and research center.