As we bring Black History Month to a close and begin Women’s History Month, this is a tremendous time to reflect on how our history shapes and propels us into the future to make our vision real. Celebrating specific groups with named history months helps foster inclusion by saying we see you, we value you, and we want to understand.
Our future will be built upon the beauty and the advantages that come from diversity and the many points of view, fresh ideas and lived realities of our multicultural society. In an interesting paper* that reported on interviews with Sue Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, and her mother, also a nurse, the authors noted five key lessons gleaned from the way historical contexts influenced both women’s careers:
- “be independent and courageous” (p. 46),
- “know that nursing has no bounds” (p. 48),
- “follow your passion” (p. 49),
- “honor diversity” (p. 50), and,
- “give back” (p. 51).
I am so delighted to share the special accomplishments and activities in this newsletter. They highlight these very points; i.e., courage, imagination, passion, diversity and service. Sadly, we also commemorate the lives of two faculty members who passed away in February 2022: Mary Anderson from our Northern Division campus and Michelle Ellermeier from the Kearney Division campus. We remember them with joy and will continue their legacies as nurses by working toward the mission and vision they both cherished. They will be deeply missed.
You may recall that several of the wonderful and talented staff in the College of Nursing developed the newsletter in past years. We are moving to a different approach now with the UNMC Office of Strategic Communications developing the newsletter and LaDonna Tworek, serving as the point person and coordinator. The newsletter will come out twice per semester during the academic year. Many thanks to Karen Burbach and the team at the Office of Strategic Communications and to LaDonna Tworek for their hard work on this inaugural issue!
Thank you to each of you for all you do to create the future and ensure access to health care and healthy communities for all!
*Lewensen, S.B., Welch, C.A., & Hassmiller, S.B. (2015). Intergenerational lessons and fabulous stories. The American Journal of Nursing, 115: 45-51. DOI:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000471940.39170.2c.