Sally Hergenrader of Longboat Key, Fla., a member of the University of Vermont Class of 1955, has made a $250,000 pledge to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS) in celebration of her 60th reunion year.

The gift will be used to establish the Sally Jensen Hergenrader Endowed Fellowship in Advanced Practice Education in Primary Care Nursing. The fellowship will provide tuition and stipend support for selected graduate students pursuing advanced practice education in nursing who want to earn a doctor of nursing practice degree (DNP) and engage in primary care in Vermont or other area of defined need for primary care providers.

“This initiative fits with the college’s mission to increase graduate education and opportunities for research in focused areas of clinical need and strength,” said Patricia Prelock, CNHS dean. “In addition, funding for graduate students in the DNP program helps to establish new faculty who can support nursing education upon graduation — meeting the mission of the University as a land-grant institution.”

“Education is an important part of our family,” Hergenrader said. “I graduated from the School of Nursing at a time when the program involved rotating assignments at various northeastern specialty hospitals. I learned a lot from that experience, and it has been a value in my life. So it is my pleasure to endow a fellowship in Advanced Practice Education in Primary Care Nursing to further the skills of Vermont nurses.”

Market forces keep nurses from pursuing advanced education because costs associated with doctoral study are frequently too high. Advanced nursing education requires a significant amount of time outside the classroom in clinical practice. The competing demands of education and practice may cause nurses to forego opportunities to gain specialty skills and develop research or leadership agendas.

Fellowships that reward academic and clinical excellence demonstrate commitment to advanced education coupled with clinical expertise. Funding helps mitigate the conditions that prevent nurses from seeking the highest level of education and fosters the next generation of nurse educators and leaders.

PUBLISHED

05-19-2015
Jay Goyette