On January 1st, we arrived at our much-anticipated centennial year for the School of Nursing. Since 1924, our faculty have inspired, mentored, and prepared thousands of nurses to improve health and change lives. We now have an opportunity to highlight our century of leadership and how it positions us for the future. Generations of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni have innovated, advocated, embraced change and broken barriers to meet the health needs of their time. Rather than being separated by years, Badger nurses are united by this enduring achievement. Our timeless, shared commitment and legacy are central to our celebrations.
While I came into 2024 with respect for the significance of this milestone, what I did not realize was how much pride, excitement, and joy it would generate. We officially launched our yearlong celebration on January 23rd in Signe Skott Cooper Hall. The festive kickoff event featured a reveal and first tastes of our commemorative Babcock ice cream flavor, Centennial Caramel Swirl. The event also included the first of three open painting sessions for the School’s commemorative mural.
There was purposeful symbolism in holding community painting sessions for our mural as a part of our first celebration of the year. More than 150 faculty, staff, students, alumni, partners, and family members added to the collaborative work of art. With each person who contributed—by providing a first layer of paint, adding layers to deepen the color, or concentrating on detail work— the blank canvas became an even more beautiful co-creation.
Artist Tia Richardson named our mural, “Forward, into the Heart of Nursing.” Her inspiration for the title, as with the image, was drawn from her many interactions with the School of Nursing community in the many months she spent planning and creating it. On May 6th, the completed mural was publicly dedicated to all who have and all who will contribute to achieving the promise of a brighter, healthier, more equitable future — one that we will build together. It now permanently resides in the atrium of Signe Skott Cooper Hall, where it beautifully captures our essence and represents our story. If you haven’t already, I hope you will come to see and appreciate it soon.
Our milestone has provided many reasons to gather in a variety of ways—to socialize, learn, reunite, expand our network, and support the School. Programming will culminate with the Centennial Weekend on Friday, November 8th and Saturday, November 9th. I hope you will save these dates now and join us!
- We will begin with our signature event on Friday evening at Union South—starting with social time and dinner that will lead to the 25th Littlefield Leadership Lecture, featuring speakers from the School of Nursing. This evening will also include an opportunity to support the School’s transition to our next 100 years and will end with a centennial toast.
- In the morning and afternoon of Saturday, November 9th, we will gather in Cooper Hall—which has now been our home for a decade. Our festive social event will honor our long-standing relationships, build and strengthen new connections, and celebrate the pride we share.
It is an honor to build on and expand the legacy of the School of Nursing by serving as dean at such a special time. I am profoundly grateful for the contributions to health made by Badger nurses, and for the philanthropic support of our donors and partners that allows us to aspire to transformative impact in the future.
At our public launch in January, I offered sentiments about the spirit of our centennial. I would like to reiterate them now in hope that they resonate with and connect us: May our enjoyment of this special year be a celebration of our possibilities, our progress, and our impact—including that we are building on the legacy of those who came before us. May we all feel pride and joy in our century milestone throughout 2024, knowing that we are already shaping our next 100 years. And, may we all feel included in the School, our work, and the community we strive to build together—just as we include all in our aspirations to build equity, improve health, and change lives through nursing research, education, and practice.
Respectfully,
Linda D. Scott