Giving

Each year, hundreds of alumni and friends make a gift to Vanderbilt School of Nursing. Please read below and visit the following links to learn about the many ways you can show your support and make a difference at one of the nation’s finest nursing schools.

A Fall School Update from Dean Pam Jeffries

August 2025

Dear Friends,

In May, 413 new graduates of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing received their degrees and became our newest alumni with the promise of advancing their careers and caring for their communities. As I conveyed to them at Investiture, they are our answer to society’s health care challenges. Each of them exudes excellence, accomplishment and work ethic. They are equipped to ask the difficult questions, identify problems, find solutions, discover knowledge and lead discussions that will revolutionize health care delivery. They are ready to make a difference.

Across our history, we have championed the very best in our profession and led through innovation in patient care, nurse education, research and system improvement. I am grateful to have you as a member of this community and am pleased to share a few updates that exemplify our tradition of excellence.

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    • Our new nurse anesthesia DNP program is on track to launch in spring 2026, with applications opening this month. As we work to address the critical shortage in nurses across health care, the ability to fill more of these vital sub-specialty positions will have a tremendous impact.
    • The first year of our Health Equity Faculty Fellows program provided knowledge and areas for further research.
      • Assistant Professor James Muchira developed a community-based intervention for people who had experienced major trauma and had high cardiovascular risks. It helped them lower their blood pressure and augmentation index, the measure of arterial stiffness.
      • Associate Professor Regina Russell investigated if generative AI tools would be useful in identifying and evaluating written health equity content. Lessons learned are now being used in a pilot to evaluate health equity content in midwifery courses.
    • And I am proud to share that 100% of our first class of Master of Nursing students passed the NCLEX the first time they took it. These new RNs are now in the nursing workforce, with many continuing their Vanderbilt education.

    Your engagement and giving provide support in tangible and intangible ways by offering mentorship, professional development and financial support for our students. Scholarships remain our top funding priority—investing in the School of Nursing directly strengthens the future of health care. Your gift empowers our students and faculty to think boldly, alleviates financial burdens and ensures a diverse, highly skilled workforce—providing compassionate, expert care in our communities, addressing critical shortages and advancing health for all.

    Please make a gift today at vu.edu/supportnursing to support our current and future students, as well as our mission as we dare to grow.

    Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our mission.

    Sincerely,

    Pamela R. Jeffries, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH
    Dean and Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing, RWJF Nurse Executive Fellow Alumna

     

Endowed Scholarships

Scholarships are one of the most effective ways to attract outstanding students. At VUSN, we are growing our endowed funds available for scholarships, thereby creating opportunities for both current and future generations of students. Almost 85 percent of VUSN students receive some form of financial assistance and the school is dedicated to providing opportunity to future nurse leaders.

Faculty Support/Endowed Chairs

The recognition and honor an endowed chair confers upon the faculty member holding it are vital incentives in a dynamic market where the best faculty are in great demand.

On any given day, the vast majority of the school's faculty can be found in their offices and classrooms, available to students and energetically involved in the life of the school. Endowed chairs enable us to retain such exceptional professors and to attract talented new faculty which places the School of Nursing at a decided advantage.

The Annual Fund

Annual fund gifts are unrestricted contributions of any size, to the School of Nursing, that are made on a yearly basis. Each academic year, VUSN has new needs that require support. Endowment gifts are earmarked for a specific use, while Annual Fund gifts provide funds that can be used by the dean and administrators to address the most immediate needs and opportunities. Annual fund gifts sustain the VUSN we know and love on a day-to-day basis and provide the foundation for future success. Gifts of all sizes combine to make a large impacts and allow us to do things such as:

  • Diversify our student body by providing scholarship support for promising students to fulfill their lifelong dreams of a nursing career.
  • Create new knowledge utilizing innovative technologies and scientific discovery through funding for research and scientific leaders.
  • Expand opportunities for students by investment in enhanced learning opportunities and the overall student experience.

Reunion Giving

Each fall, the School of Nursing participates in Vanderbilt’s Reunion Weekend by inviting Nursing alumni back to the school to celebrate the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th and 50th anniversary of their graduation from VUSN. Alumni celebrating their Reunion often choose to make a special gift to show their appreciation for the important role Vanderbilt has played in their lives and careers. When you give back in honor of your Reunion, you’re adding to the cumulative generosity of generations of Vanderbilt School of Nursing alumni. Learn more about Reunion giving and how to get involved.

The Julia Hereford Society

The Julia Hereford Society recognizes financial support of Vanderbilt School of Nursing by those who make annual gifts of $2,500 and up. To learn more about JHS click here.

For more information on making a gift to Vanderbilt School of Nursing, please contact VUSNgiving@vanderbilt.edu or a member of the Development and Alumni Relations staff.

Vanderbilt is a special place for my family. My grandparents met at Vanderbilt and my grandmother earned her master’s degree in nursing in the 1930s. I give to the School of Nursing in honor of my grandparents who donated throughout their lives to Vanderbilt and for the incredible education I received as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in 2018.

Elizabeth Hills, BSN’18
Julia Hereford Society Member

Ways to Give

  • Make a Gift Online

    To make your gift online, use our secure online gift form. Vanderbilt accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards.

    If you would like to restrict your gift to a particular fund at the School of Nursing (e.g., VUSN Alumni Scholarship Fund) please make a note in the special comments section of the online gift form.

  • Mail Your Gift

    To mail your gift or pledge, print our giving form to include with your check, credit card payment or money order.

  • Telephone

    Call us at 1-866-882-FUND (3863) to make an annual gift.

  • Electronic Bank Draft

    To set up an electronic bank draft, call 1-866-882-FUND (3863) or use our printable form.

  • Stocks and Securities

    To request information on transferring gifts of stocks and securities click here. Please call (615) 875-1155 with any questions.

    For information on planned gifts, matching corporate gifts and donor advised funds, please contact Veronica Vincente Ford, Associate Dean of Development at (615) 509-5123 or veronica.ford@vanderbilt.edu.

Meet the Team

  • Ashley Sain

    Ashley Sain

    Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations
    School of Nursing

  • Veronica Vincente Ford

    Veronica Vincente Ford

    Associate Director of Development, School of Nursing Development & Alumni Relations

  • Betsey Usher

    Betsey Usher

    Senior Director Alumni Relations

    School of Nursing
    Development and Alumni Relations

  • Andrea Zink

    Andrea Zink

    Director of Annual Giving, Development and Alumni Relations

    School of Nursing
    Development & Alumni Relations

  • Anja Fairholm

    Anja Fairholm

    Associate Director of Annual Giving and Stewardship

    School of Nursing
    Development & Alumni Relations

  • Alexys Ahn

    Alexys Ahn

    DAR Coordinator

    School of Nursing
    Development & Alumni Relations

  •  Soma Khoshnaw

    Soma Khoshnaw

    DAR Coordinator