Baylor’s Annual Nursing School Gala to Feature NFL Stars Robert Griffin III, Mike Singletary
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Louise Herrington School of Nursing Hosts ‘Going for the Gold Gala’ Feb. 28 in Dallas
WACO, Texas (Feb. 20, 2015) – Located in the heart of Dallas, Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing will host its fourth annual “Going for the Gold Gala” at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Hilton Anatole.
This year’s event will feature Baylor alums Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins quarterback, and NFL Hall of Fame coach Mike Singletary.
Since 2012, the galas have raised more than $1.7 million for student scholarships. This year’s fundraising goal is $1 million, which will support scholarships for student nurses as well as help support the nursing school's new building fund.
“I am grateful that we have such dedicated and hard-working volunteers who believe so strongly in the mission of Baylor University and the Louise Herrington School of Nursing and our vision for the future,” said Shelley F. Conroy, Ed.D., M.S.N., R.N., C.N.E., dean of Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, which includes the School of Nursing.
“From our students, to alumni, healthcare partners, dedicated community volunteers and especially our First Lady Alice Starr, we have a remarkable synergy in this group dedicated to enabling our students to have a transformational experience preparing tomorrow's caring and compassionate nursing leaders. We believe that this gala is going to be the best of all of them,” Conroy said.
Serving as emcee for the evening will be Deb Carson, Baylor graduate and award-winning radio and television personality and national sports anchor for Fox Sports Radio. Carson anchors the National Sports Reports weekdays during “The Dan Patrick Show” and “The Rich Eisen Show.”
Past speakers include Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton, NFL Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, NFL Hall of Famer and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and Baylor's championship-winning women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey.
Individual ticket and table sales, as well as the live and silent auction proceeds, underwrite the cost of the gala.
“This year we expect to exceed previous attendance records with more than 800 guests,” said Wayne Tucker, chair of the sponsorship and underwriting gala task force committee and dean’s board member.
Tickets to attend the gala are $200 per seat for individuals and $2,500 for a table for 10 guests. Visit www.baylor.edu/nursing/ and click on “Going for the Gold Gala” to make reservations, learn more about the event and preview the list of auction items.
For more information about the gala call (214) 808-9802.
The Hilton Anatole is located at 2201 North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.
ABOUT THE ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES
After more than three years of evaluation and input from Baylor regents, deans, faculty and staff, and external entities, the Baylor Board of Regents approved the creation of the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences on May 16, 2014. This was also a direct result of identified priorities for strengthening the health sciences through Baylor’s strategic vision, Pro Futuris, which serves as a compass for the University’s future. The anchor academic units that form the new College –Communication Sciences and Disorders, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health, Human Performance and Recreation, and the Louise Herrington School of Nursing – share a common purpose: improving health and the quality of life. The new College is working to create curricula that will promote a team-based approach to patient care and will establish interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance solutions for improving the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. For more information visit www.baylor.edu/chhs/
ABOUT LOUISE HERRINGTON SCHOOL OF NURSING
The Baylor Louise Herrington School of Nursing was established in 1909 as a diploma program within Baylor Hospital in Dallas, which is now Baylor University Medical Center, and in 1950 became one of the six degree-granting schools of Baylor University. The first Bachelor of Science in nursing degrees were awarded in 1954, establishing the school as one of the oldest baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States. In 1999, the School was renamed the Louise Herrington School of Nursing after Louise Herrington Ornelas, a 1992 Baylor Alumna Honoris Causa, made a $13 million endowment gift to the school. The School of Nursing offers a bachelor of science in nursing degree and a master of science in nursing degrees in advanced neonatal nursing, nursing administration and management, and family nurse practitioner programs, which are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The School also offers a nurse midwifery doctorate in nursing practice.