As you may have noticed elsewhere on the School’s website, the Board of Trustees in June approved full funding for the Widmer Wing and some needed work on Storrs Hall. Total funds = $14 Million.  That is a significant change from the $5 million originally set aside for the School. We have many to thank for that change:  our champions on the Board of Trustees, the meticulous University Architectural Services staff who examined all data, and our architect, Tai Soo Kim Partners, LLC, who provided detailed information and diagrams on the differences between what the faculty and staff knew were the best approaches to students learning and our previous budget.  And, the most important of all was that central administration of the University championed our cause! I am humbled and grateful to all who stayed the course with me through these negotiations.

So, we are off and running! This fall we are meeting weekly with the design team to define the overall layout of the addition. In the first quarter of 2010, we will move into the details—everything from electrical outlets, selecting floor coverings, to the details of the display cabinets for the Josephine A. Dolan Collection. Before the end of June, we will complete the construction documents.  

It will be a busy year.  I will keep you updated here and in our spring issue of UNISON.

This fall marks the second year that we have sent senior nursing students to Cape Town South Africa for the entire semester.  Plus, another group of seniors left for the entire semester in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

To celebrate this monumental occasion, students, their guests, the provost and faculty in the study abroad program gathered for a bon voyage dinner!  See the pictures in this text. The spirit of adventure was breadth taking and the camaraderie clearly established.

I spent some time this summer in Cape Town, visiting all the places where our students go…from the clinics in the Shanty Towns…to the children’s wards…to the non-government organization that cares for children born with AIDS. Nurses in these environments provide remarkable services and have a passion for their clients….it permeates the cinder block walls and, by our standards, the use of meager resources. The short time I spent in their midst was memorable and I know these students who will practice beside them are experiencing the greatest of role models.

Some wondered why we choose Puerto Rico.  After all, it is part of the US.  But, it is a bi-lingual culture and population.  Increasingly, students and graduates must be knowledgeable and comfortable in these settings.  Students primarily will work in the V.A. hospital, which uses English language.  But, the experiences promise to be transforming and they will gather Spanish skills throughout the semester. 

You can keep up with the adventures and learning by logging onto their blogs:

Cape Town - uconncapetown.wordpress.com
Puerto Rico - ucnursingaway.wordpress.com

July 2009 - Typically, the last few weeks of July are very quiet here—summer school is over and faculty members are away enjoying the last days of summer. But, this year was different.  For the first time, the School participated in UConn’s Mentor Connection. 

The program is offered through the Neag School of Education’s Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.  Students come to campus for a three week intense experience that includes sharing in the professional lives of faculty.

One student worked with Associate Professor Deborah McDonald on a study that focuses on pain communication.  Another worked with Associate Dean Rhea Sanford on diabetes education and the third joined Assistant Professor in Residence Michele Judge in her work on the role of Omega-3 fatty acids in prevention of Post-partum Depression.

They all spent time with Assistant Clinical Professor Desiree Diaz, who provided hands-on experiences in our Simulation and Skills Laboratory.  See picture. [Fatima Alihodzic (left), Elizabeth Case (far end), and Hannah Rang (far right) are taught proper injection technique by Desiree Diaz (right) in the School of Nursing Simulation Laboratory during the UConn 2009 Mentor Connection program. Photo by Barbara Slater.] 

Typically, our programs for high school students are done by faculty traveling to the high schools.  It was a treat that these students were here.

Regardless of where these students go in the future, they enriched our summer.

August 10, 2009 - Recently, I returned from Cape Town, South Africa.  Our magazine, Unison, has provided great coverage of the students’ work there last fall.  But, this was my first trip.  It was amazing to follow in the steps of our undergraduates. I went to all the clinics and hospitals where they were, plus traveled into the informal settlements, where many patients live.  Everywhere, nurses spoke of the kindnesses of the students, their good skills and thoughtful questions.  I have never been prouder!

The first week of September, we send another group to South Africa and open a new program in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Two students also traveled and studied in Denmark this summer, as part of the University’s program. 

None of these things happened two years ago, before I arrived.  I am delighted with the faculty’s energy to embrace and create such opportunities.  While study abroad courses often are available to humanities majors, it is rare for nursing faculty to be able to offer educationally sound classroom and clinical studies in other countries. Kudos to a great team!

Anne