UC Davis dedicates new nursing school to Betty Irene Moore

Inaugural classes establish scholarship fund to further grow student opportunities

UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, School of Nursing Dean Heather Young and Health System Vice Chancellor and School of Medicine Dean Claire Pomeroy © UC Regents
Attending the Dedication and Inaugural Welcoming event were (left to right) Linda Katehi, chancellor of UC Davis; Heather M. Young, associate vice chancellor for nursing at UC Davis and founding dean of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing; and Claire Pomeroy, chief executive officer of the health system, vice chancellor for human health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at UC Davis.

Posted on Oct. 20, 2010

University of California, UC Davis and UC Davis Health System leaders on Oct. 8 formally dedicated the university’s newest professional school, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, to philanthropist Betty Irene Moore during a ceremony that also welcomed the inaugural classes. Conducted at The California Museum, the Dedication and Inaugural Welcoming event also included a surprise from the students themselves: the announcement of a $43,000 endowed scholarship fund for future scholars.

The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis was approved by the University of California Regents in 2009 following a $100 million commitment from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation — the largest grant ever made in support of nursing education nationwide — to found the school.

“We commend the commitment and generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to launch this school in partnership with the University of California,” said Heather M. Young, associate vice chancellor for nursing at UC Davis and founding dean of the school. “Such public-private partnerships are vital to develop new, innovative programs at the time when they are critically needed. We applaud the Moore family and the foundation for their vision and efforts.”

Young noted the celebration came just days after national nurse leaders released an Institute of Medicine report calling for nurses to take their place as leaders in American health care and to increase the educational opportunities for nurses.

“I am pleased to say that the vision and strategies of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing are in full alignment with the recommendations of the IOM report,” Young said at the ceremony. “We are already implementing actions necessary to prepare nurses to lead the transformation of our nation’s health-care system. This is an unprecedented time to unleash the power and passion of nursing.”

As part of the festivities, the inaugural classes of students at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing received their official welcome to the school. The students provided their own surprise to the evening when they announced the establishment of an Inaugural Classes Endowed Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships to future students. Each of the 33 students of the inaugural classes pledged support and altogether raised $43,000.

Terri Wolf, a UC Davis Health System nurse and member of the Master of Science class, said the students were eager to demonstrate their appreciation for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s financial support.

Heather Young © UC Regents“We commend the commitment and generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to launch this school in partnership with the University of California.”
— Heather M. Young

“We wanted to follow that lead and start giving back to the next generation of nurse leaders right away,” Wolf said. “Why should we wait to be asked for support after we graduate, when we can demonstrate our gratitude and commitment to this school right now?”

Young said the announcement spoke volumes about the students’ commitment to igniting nurse leadership.

“This scholarship fund is one more indication of these inaugural classes’ commitment to the vision and mission of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing,” Young said. “It is an unprecedented move for students to make such a statement and investment. It highlights their leadership and ability to see beyond themselves to the future.”

The inaugural classes of the innovative Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Graduate Degree Programs consist of eight Doctor of Philosophy students and 25 Master of Science students. The doctoral program is the first doctoral nursing program in the inland Northern California and Central Valley regions.

The Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Graduate Group prepares nurse leaders, researchers and faculty in a unique interdisciplinary and interprofessional environment. As with other graduate groups at UC Davis, this program engages faculty from across the campus with expertise in nursing, medicine, health informatics, nutrition, biostatistics, public health and other fields. Currently, the graduate group includes 28 faculty from across campus.

Inaugural class in audience for dedication © UC Regents
The inaugural classes of the innovative Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Graduate Degree Programs include eight Doctor of Philosophy students and 25 Master of Science students.

The highly qualified inaugural graduate cohort reflects diverse expertise in multiple settings and with various populations. The doctoral students include nurses and public-health and informatics specialists. The incoming students work for organizations throughout the area, including UC Davis Health System as well as a variety of large, regional health systems and small, community-based organizations.

The master’s degree students also come from a range of backgrounds and health settings including nutrition and public health. Like the doctoral class, the new class includes nurses from a variety of health-care systems both large and small.

Applications for the fall 2011 graduate classes opened in mid-October. Like the inaugural classes, every student selected for admission for fall 2011 will receive generous financial support. For more information, visit the school’s website at http://nursing.ucdavis.edu.

Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis

For 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matters to California and to transform the world.

The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis was established in March 2009, UC Davis' first major initiative to address society's most pressing health-care problems in the next 100 years. The school was launched through a $100 million commitment from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the nation's largest grant for nursing education.

The vision of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing is to transform health care through nursing education and research. Through nursing leadership, the school will discover knowledge to advance health, improve quality of care and health outcomes, and inform health policy.

The school enrolled its inaugural classes for the Master of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in fall 2010. Additional students and programs will be phased in over the next decade.

The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing is part of the UC Davis Health System, an integrated, academic health system encompassing UC Davis School of Medicine, the 613-bed-acute-care hospital and clinical services of UC Davis Medical Center and the 800-member physician group known as the UC Davis Medical Group. For more information, visit nursing.ucdavis.edu.