Most profound things are usually very simple. For example, doing whatever it takes to help students learn while instilling professionalism and accountability; or honoring loved ones who made it their life's mission to help others.

Bringing ideas, such as these, together is the goal of the MU Sinclair School of Nursing's development staff. They view privately funded gifts for teaching and research as the highest honor our school can bestow upon a faculty member.

The concept of privately funded endowments began in 1502 when Oxford University awarded its first professorship. Currently, public institutions are facing the reality of diminishing public resources so the University of Missouri and the School have set goals to significantly increase private support for recruiting and retaining top-flight scholars.

Steve and Sally Richardson are the first to endow a named faculty scholar position of this type in the School. Simply put, Steve had been contemplating how to show his wife how much he valued her nursing background. The perfect timing to recognize her career happened several years ago as he realized his goal could also help their alma mater.

“I've gone through life thinking my wife has made a much greater contribution to the world than I,” says the successful former business COO. “I believe nurses in general help people in more productive ways than they are sometimes recognized or appreciated for. I thought this was the way to tell her how much I love her.”

The simple fact that the Richardsons chose a clinical instructor for their gift is significant. Those who are in the classroom day in and day out don't typically receive the same public recognition as those who conduct research and publish their findings. However, the impact they make is felt just as strongly throughout the nursing profession.

The perfect candidate for the Sally Alberty Richardson Faculty Scholar in Medical/Surgical Nursing soon was evident – Pam Evans-Smith. Her evaluations from students and peers consistently received excellent marks in regards to her teaching activities. But the book she authored, Taylor's Clinical Nursing Skills – A Nursing Process Approach , spoke to her scholarly teaching activities and secured the fellowship for her.

“My goal is for all students to graduate with a broad-based knowledge of nursing,” the med/surg instructor stresses. “It's my mission to teach the basic building blocks and how to use those blocks. If I do that successfully, they will be successful in any area of nursing they choose.”

Extraordinary levels of energy, high expectations and a stickler for detail has earned Evans-Smith the respect of more than 800 students. For outgoing students, graduation has always been synonymous with becoming professionals and recognizing those faculty members who touched their lives the most. During her 12 semesters at the School, the students have presented Evans-Smith eight student-nominated awards.

“The student awards mean more to me than I can say,” Evans-Smith says. “They hold a special place in my heart because they mean I am fulfilling my teaching mission.”

This is the type of person Steven and Sally were looking for when they gave their gift. Med/surg nursing is Sally's passion. “I wanted to recognize an instructor who is giving students a high-quality education that will allow them to tackle any position that comes their way and med/surg is where it all begins,” says the RN who found it necessary to adapt to a variety of nursing experiences when her husband's job required them to relocate frequently.

“My husband's gift was amazing and sweet,” the 51-year-old Texas resident says softly. “I about fell out of my chair when he said what he wanted to do. I know this money will help Mizzou continue its tradition of excellence in educating nurses while recognizing an instructor who so richly deserves it.”

Faculty scholar positions simply give the School the means to compete with other schools of nursing in recruiting, retaining and supporting faculty members. Evans-Smith is given a yearly stipend from the accruing interest of the Richardson 's original gift along with the named title.

Gifts, such as these, strengthen the overall program quality by attracting gifted faculty who in turn attract the brightest and most promising students who will become the next generation of nursing professionals.

“The additional funds are helping me achieve my PhD through the purchase of an electronic tablet which helps me not only in my role as a student, but also as an instructor. I update lectures when I'm on the go,” says the 6th- and 8th-semester instructor.

And on the go she is. With four children under the age of 12 and two dogs, Evans-Smith and her husband Kevin, who is a pharmacist, are in constant motion. While attending sport practices or other routine family obligations, she updates information that she feels is imperative for her students to know.

“I am frequently updating lectures, researching topics and attending in-services,” she says. “The field of health care changes on a daily basis, and since these changes directly impact nurses I feel I must present students with the most cutting-edge knowledge I can.”

Lenore Alberty Memorial Nursing Scholarship

The Richardsonsw also wanted to reward students who mirror Sally academically - a good academic record without being a straight-A student.

"I knew I was going to be a great nurse. And I know there are other s tudents out there that are just like me," Sally remembers.

The Richardsons chose to make a second gift to honor Sally's mother by naming a scholarship after her – the Lenore Alberty Memorial Nursing Scholarship.

Sally was the fourth out of five children raised by a strong-willed single mother. “She knew how important it was for me to become a nurse,” says the 1978 graduate. “I could have attended Washington University free of charge because my mom worked in the student health center, but she knew I wanted to be a nurse. So somehow she managed to pay for my education at the University of Missouri .”

The Richardson 's scholarship is specifically designated to help students from single-parent households. “It's our wish that this scholarship give students who might not otherwise be considered for traditional scholarships hope that an education is possible.”

The Richardsons are going to present their scholarship to its first recipient at the School's annual banquet in April. They like being able to meet the students and wish them good luck in school, says Sally. “Awarding my mom's scholarship this year is even more special to me because I'm celebrating 30 years of marriage and career,” she says.

written by Pam Roe

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