Saturday, September 29th at the Wilson County Expo Center promises to be a night filled with great music, food and dancing, and you don’t want to miss it! Now going into its 6th year, the 2018 Notes for Nurses, will be celebrating the five-year impact the event has had on the Cumberland University Nursing Program. With more than 2000 plus attendees, 300 community and student volunteers, and over $300,000.00 in cash, pledges and sponsorships supporting nursing simulation equipment and scholarships, the impact on the
Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions has been tremendous.
Honorary Chair, Beth McCall, a nurse herself, was the first chair of the event in 2013 and is overwhelmed by the community support. She
notes that “I’m thrilled to see the enthusiasm the event has brought to the nursing program. It has been exciting to see the growth over the last few years and I love seeing the new members and all the energy and ideas that have continued to make the night a success. The money we have raised has allowed the University to purchase a mother-birthing simulator, a child simulator, make technical upgrades to other mannequins and purchase simulation related equipment and software to create training scenarios, all of which are a great benefit to the education of student nurses. We’ve also been able to award over $25,000 in scholarships to 10 deserving students. That is something we are very proud of.” Beth, along with several volunteers created the event and have helped grow it to one of the most popular fundraising showcases in Wilson County.
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This year, Pam McAteer will step into the Event Chair shoes and she is off to a fantastic start, already working tirelessly with her committee
to ensure a fantastic evening. Pam knows the importance of a strong, local nursing program and is happy to support such an impactful
fundraiser. Pam states that “seeing the outpouring of support from the community, with record attendance the past five years, has been
heartwarming. The event would not be possible without all the wonderful volunteers on the Notes for Nurses committee and nursing student volunteers. We are excited to have this year’s event at the beautiful Wilson County Expo Center and want to encourage our local businesses to get involved, as this is a cause that truly impacts all of us. We’ve got a wonderful nursing school in this community, turning out compassionate, knowledgeable nurses who will be providing care for all of us and our families, so it’s important that we help them succeed.”
The 2018 Notes for Nurses will feature dinner by Sammy B’s, entertainment by the Jimmy Church Band, silent and live auctions, a cash bar, music and dancing. The main event will start at 6:30 p.m., with a VIP reception for sponsors and special guests starting at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.notesfornurses.com and clicking the “Tickets” tab or contacting Cheryl Bockstruck at 615-547-1245 to reserve
seating. General Admission is $75.00 and Alumni General Admission is $50.00.
Table sponsorships for the event are available and include a table for eight guests and recognition in the printed program and social media, while a VIP table sponsorship also includes tickets for two guests to the pre-event meet and greet VIP reception with the featured artists. Sponsorships are a great opportunity to show your support and also enjoy a fun evening. This year’s Presenting Sponsor will be Frank and Cindy Rudy and the Champion of Nursing Sponsor is Tennova Healthcare.
Interim Dean Dr. Joy Kimbrell, another strong advocate of the school and it’s students, notes that “the Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions is helping meet the growing demand for nurses. There are more job opportunities for registered nurses, in a variety of settings than ever before in my forty-two years as a registered nurse. CU nursing graduates have a reputation as strong clinicians and are sought after to hire upon graduation by many of the leaders in the healthcare industry in middle Tennessee. Our nursing professors are all experienced, dedicated nurse educators who care deeply about the quality of instruction they provide our students. They work tirelessly to think of new creative ways to bring relevant clinical learning situations to the classroom, labs and clinical sites. They are engaged with our students on a day-to-day basis to ensure their success and promote deep learning.”
Her sentiments are reflected in that this year alone, Cumberland University Nursing Program, will graduate 116 nursing school graduates. In the past 25 years, there have been over 1,525 alumni to graduate, with CU nursing graduates employed in more than 20 different hospitals and other health agencies in middle Tennessee.
2018 promises to be a big year for CU’s Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions, with its future looking brighter than ever. In March of 2018, Cumberland University announced that Dr. Mary Bess Griffith had been hired as the new dean of the Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions and will be taking over her new post in mid-summer. Dr. Griffith holds a doctorate in nursing from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Masters of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences at Memphis. She is a certified nurse educator, a certificate holder in simulation and a certificated nurse practitioner.
Dr. Bill Mckee, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cumberland University remarked that “we are pleased to welcome
Dr. Griffith to the Cumberland University family. She comes to us with a wealth of experience in teaching future nurses. Cumberland
students will continue to enjoy a nursing program of the highest quality.”
Cumberland University, with one of the longest and richest histories of any higher education institution in the state, no doubt continues to flourish today as is evident by the caliber of students, instructors, and community leaders who work tirelessly to support the local University. And this year, you can be part of it as well. So save the date, purchase your tickets and let’s get ready for a fun evening of fundraising and fellowship!
