'Going for the Gold Gala' Supports Endowed Scholarships for Nursing Students at Baylor's Louise Herrington School of Nursing
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Contact: Eric Eckert, 254-710-1964
DALLAS (April 29, 2014) -- Take an Olympic gold medalist, add in a heavy dose of Baylor green and gold, and you have the third annual Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing "Going for the Gold Gala," at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Omni Dallas Hotel in downtown Dallas. The gala continues the tradition of spotlighting championship efforts to raise scholarship funds for student nurses.
“Regardless of background, education and experience, everyone at some point in their life needs a competent and caring nurse,” said Dr. Shelley F. Conroy, CNE, dean and professor of Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON). “Our students are drawn to a calling to learn, lead and serve, and we want to be able to help them attend our nursing school, knowing that for many of them, paying for their education is beyond their families’ abilities.”
The 2014 spring gala will feature Mary Lou Retton, America's gold medal legend. The first American woman to receive an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, Retton also was the first American to win the Olympic All Around title.
“We are thrilled Mary Lou Retton will be our gala speaker,” said Janis Kovar, LHSON’s director of development. “She’s an incredible example of dedication to a goal, with an added bonus that her daughter attends Baylor.”
Tickets to attend the gala are $200 per seat for individuals and $2,500 to reserve a table for 10 guests. Visit www.baylor.edu/nursing and click on Going for the Gold Gala for a preview list of auction items and other gala information. Individual ticket and table sales as well as the live and silent auction proceeds underwrite the cost of the gala.
Since the inaugural gala in 2012, the event has raised more than $1 million for student scholarships. This year's goal is $750,000. For more information about the gala, call 214-808-9802.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY LOUISE HERRINGTON SCHOOL OF NURSING – Dallas, Texas
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 1952, establishing the school as one of the oldest baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States. In 1999, the School was renamed the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing after Louise Herrington Ornelas, a 1992 Baylor Alumna Honoris Causa, who 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 leadership and innovation, 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. For more information, visit www.baylor.edu/nursing.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY – Waco, Texas
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 15,000 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 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.