Since 1966 we have recognized outstanding alumni for their achievements in nursing. In 1991 and each year after, we have awarded fellow nurses these prestigious awards at our annual Nursing Awards Banquet.
If you know someone deserving of one of these awards, please fill out a nomination form. All nominations need to include an overview of the nominee’s achievements, accomplishments and why the nominee is deserving of the honor. Please include background information, resume and other support materials with your nomination.
The Citation of Merit is a campus-wide award and is the most prestigious award presented by the MU Nursing Alumni Organization.
- MU School of Nursing graduate
- Demonstrated outstanding achievement in the nursing field
- Shown continued interest and support of the school
- Made a substantial contribution to the nursing profession through the lifetime or corpus of their career
- Approved by the MU Alumni Organization Board of Directors
- Be present to receive the award
- MU School of Nursing graduate
- Distinguished him/herself in an exceptional way that brings recognition of achievement in nursing through any of the following: leadership, publication, education, research, clinical practice, education, and professionalism
- Continued interest and evidence of support (including time, effort, and/or monetary contributions) toward the enhancement of the school’s reputation
- Approved by the MU Nursing Alumni Organization Board of Directors
- Be present to receive the award
- MU School of Nursing graduate
- Significant achievement in nursing or support of the profession
- Continued interest and evidence of support (including time, effort, and/or monetary contributions) toward the enhancement of the school’s reputation
- Great potential for further continued achievement in the nursing profession
- Approved by the MU Alumni Organization Board of Directors
- Be present to receive the award
- MU School of Nursing graduate
- Recipient administers to individuals/families in need of support and care through volunteer time and effort
- Applies a high level of nursing knowledge, compassion and caring to vulnerable populations on an ongoing basis
- Demonstrates a continued interest in the MU School of Nursing and students.
- Approved by the MU Alumni Organization Board of Directors
- Be present to receive the award
- NOT a graduate of the MU School of Nursing
- Outstanding achievement in nursing or support for the nursing profession
- Continued interest and evidence of support, including time, talent or treasure towards the enhancement of the school’s reputation
- Approved by the MU Alumni Organization Board of Directors
- Be present to receive the award
2023 Alumni Award Recipients
Harriett Copher Haynes, BSN ’63
Citation of Merit
After graduating from SSON and earning a Master in Public Health, Dr. Harriett Haynes was offered a spot in the counseling psychology PhD program at the University of Minnesota where she worked her way up to director of counseling services. She used her role to place counseling services at the center of campus and was known for showing up and advocating for marginalized students. Haynes also devoted much of her time to volunteering, including serving on the Governor’s Mental Health Council. Her experience as a nurse, psychologist and person of color made her an indispensable voice for people without adequate access to mental health care. She was also very active in a National Organization of Counseling Center Directors. Haynes helped create a program that invites minority people to attend the organization’s annual conference, encourages them to present at the conference and connects them with a mentor. In her namesake, the Harriett Copher Haynes Diversity Leadership Mentoring Award has not only increased the number of people of color in director positions, but has also inspired many to become leaders within their own communities.
Kristine L’Ecuyer, BSN ’87
Alumni of the Year
Dr. Kristine L’Ecuyer began her teaching career at St. Louis University in 1993. Through her publications and research, she promotes the role of the staff nurse preceptor and advocates for their on-going development as educators of nursing. L’Ecuyer believes the one thing she can do as an educator is to make certain preceptors have the education and support they need to be effective in their role. She developed a list of competencies that were validated and analyzed to create the Preceptor Self-Assessment Tool (PSAT-40). Used internationally, PSAT-40 allows educators to identify the strengths and learning needs of their preceptors to guide training. “Her work will move nursing education to new levels over the next several years across the nation,” states her former instructor and now colleague, Dr. Mary Beck, MS(N)’84.
Debra Deeken, BSN ’92, MS(N) ’10, DNP ’19
Alumni Achievement
Dr. Debra Deeken has dedicated her 30-year nursing career to MU Health Care making a positive impact on everything she is a part of, whether it be her clinical or educational path. Deeken has served in multiple critical leadership roles, such as the ambulatory health, the operations section chief of the hospital’s COVID response and, most recently, the director of clinical operations and nursing for the Missouri Psychiatric Center. When returning to the Sinclair School of Nursing for her DNP, Deeken’s scholarly project focused on finding ways for the SSON and MU Health Care to advance their partnership. This project has transformed the relationship between Mizzou Nursing and the hospital and now serves as a foundation for a committee and several subcommittees dedicated to collaboration with a myriad of positive outcomes including a nursing apprenticeship program.
Edith Harrington, BSN ’46
Humanitarian Award
Edith Harrington’s dream of being a nurse goes back to a young age when helping her father recover from a serious leg injury. She started Mizzou in 1942. Her education would be interrupted in her second year of nursing school when World War II began and she answered the call to her country. Due to the critical shortage of nurses, young women were called upon to train and serve in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps. Harrington joined the cadets which allowed her to continue her nursing education while caring for the sick and wounded. “Ms. Harrington served her country honorably and cared for our military service members during WWII, and she represents some of the best qualities an American and a Missourian can have,” stated Governor Mike Parson upon choosing Harrington to be the grand marshal in the 2021 Missouri Bicentennial Parade. After Harrington completed her service in the Cadet Nurse Corps, she finished her degree at Mizzou and taught nursing classes at the Macon vocational school. She turned 100 hundred years old in April 2023.
David Mehr
Honorary Alumni
Dr. David Mehr is a family physician, geriatrician, health services researcher and emeritus professor at the MU School of Medicine. His interest in nursing home studies has resulted in numerous research collaborations with countless Sinclair School of Nursing faculty. He has been part of many notable projects and grants, four funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH). Mehr was the project director for an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grant to build infrastructure at MU for patient-centered outcomes. He also takes great joy in mentoring students and research faculty. Mehr acts as an advisor, sits on dissertation panels and conducts mock reviews for grant applications. He is a strong advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration and an invaluable asset to the school of nursing.
Latha Ramchand
Distinguished Friend of the School
Dr. Latha Ramchand was appointed Mizzou’s Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost in August 2018. She is an advocate for the nursing profession and recognizes the critical need for the Sinclair School of Nursing. She believes in the importance of research and the translation to care that nurses implement. Ramchand’s passion for nursing is genuine as she has witnessed the profound difference nurses make during the most critical times of her life and the health of her family. Both personally and professionally, Ramchand has given her time, treasure and talent to advance the school of nursing and its mission to serve the state of Missouri and beyond.