Faculty Member Supports Nursing With Planned Gift
Vickie Stuart came to The University of Southern Mississippi to help establish the Nurse Anesthesia Program. Southern Miss is the first among Mississippi's eight institutions of higher learning to offer a degree-granting nurse anesthesia program.
Stuart is not only a faculty member, but she is also an active donor to the University. Her employee payroll deduction gift supports the College of Nursing Building Campaign, which funds the construction of Asbury Hall, the College of Nursing’s new home. The University recently broke ground on the facility, which will increase the square footage dedicated to the College of Nursing by 135 percent.
“Asbury Hall will house a state-of-the-art, high fidelity operating room and an anesthesia skills training room designed for small group task training and workshops,” Stuart said.
Stuart is also a member of the McCarty Legacy, having made the USM Foundation the beneficiary of her retirement plan assets. She has designated her planned gift to the College of Nursing Building Maintenance Endowment. She also plans to set up a portion of her estate for that same fund as a bequest.
Stuart is a long-term thinker and sees planned giving as part of that long-range perspective. “Planned giving is important to ensure that funding is available for the future students and the sustainability of the program and learning environment,” she said. She also sees her gift as a sign of her gratitude to the institution.
“It is important to give back to the institution that has facilitated one’s goals coming to fruition. Southern Miss supported me and demonstrated their confidence in my ability to develop and lead this great program,” she said.
For her, giving back is another way to inspire her students. “Giving to the program, the profession and to Southern Miss is my way of giving back and showing my appreciation. Leading by example is the most effective way to demonstrate professionalism to the next generation.”