30 D'MENSIONS MAGAZINE D'YOUVILLE UNIVERSITY 31 The 1970 School of Nursing Capping Ceremony held in Holy Angels Church. Capping is a traditional rite of passage that marks a nursing student’s transition from academic study to professional clinical practice. While actual caps are no longer part of the D’Youville tradition, the pinning ceremony remains a significant event for nursing graduates The war brought on innovations in the profession — military nurses dealt with shock, blood replacement and resuscitation in real-life situations. Their service wasn’t without risk, as 201 U.S. nurses died during the war from accidents, disease, weather-related incidents and hostile fire; and 67 Army nurses became Japanese prisoners of war after the fall of Corregidor in the Philippines in 1942. Of the seven trailblazing nurses in the first class at D’Youville, Alice Greene and Esther Fischle were the only two to serve in the military during and after the war. Greene served in Germany, and Fischle became a nursing instructor in the Philippines. And while she didn’t serve, Valerie Sauk’s nursing degree allowed her to become a stewardess for the first international flights by American Airlines, which required medical training from its staff on long flights. “Let me dedicate my life today to the care of those who come my way. Let me touch each one with healing hands and the gentle art for which I stand. And then tonight, when the day is done, let me rest in peace if I help just one.” A Nurse’s Prayer, by Teri Lynn Thompson Under the leadership of Ashline, the department of nursing and its seven students blossomed into the School of Nursing and more than 100 students by 1950. When Ashline died suddenly in 1951, she was succeeded by Sister Francis Xavier, who also held undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing from Catholic University. Xavier (who would go on to become president of D’Youville in the 1960s) led the school through its greatest period of growth in the 50s and established D’Youville’s first graduate program in nursing. By 1962 — 20 years into the program’s existence — the School of Nursing had 270 students enrolled and more than 500 graduates living in every state in the country (plus Puerto Rico, Canada, France, Germany and Italy). At the time, Xavier attributed the school’s success to its focus on both professionalism and humanitarianism. “We build the woman, and on top of that we develop her career,” she told the Buffalo Evening News in a 1962 article celebrating its 20 years. “The school of nursing tries to train ‘head, heart and hands’ — not just to teach a nursing student what she must do … but to teach her to think, plan, cooperate and manage, too.” When Xavier was named president in 1962, she was succeeded by the School of Nursing’s first lay woman to be named dean, Virginia Ego. The program peaked in the 1970s with more than 1,000 full- and part-time nursing students enrolled at the school. In the 1980s, D’Youville leaders moved to reduce their dependency on nursing by adding more programs in business, computer science and education. Occupational and physical therapy were added in the late 1980s, strengthening the school’s health science programs but ultimately cutting into nursing. Today, nursing is still the most popular undergraduate degree offered at D’Youville, and enrollment in the graduate program is right around the 450 mark. In 2017, D’Youville received a $2 million gift from Richard Garman and his family to name the School of Nursing in memory of his wife, the late Patricia H. Garman, who earned her BSN in 1976 and later taught nursing at the school. The gift was one of the largest one-time gifts in the school’s history and allowed D’Youville to expand and strengthen its program. The COVID pandemic in 2020 highlighted the continued need for nurses in the U.S. and revealed a shortage that could hit 100,000 by 2030. This summer, D’Youville named Dr. Shannon McCrory-Churchill as dean of the Patricia H. Garman School of Nursing after she served as interim dean and held a variety of academic clinical leadership roles during her career. The university said McCrory-Churchill’s focus on “student-centered learning, innovation in clinical preparation and dedication to addressing health care workforce needs” made her the right choice. “She is the ideal leader to guide our School of Nursing during this critical time for the profession,” President Lorrie Clemo said. “Her vision for innovation in nursing education, paired with her passion for advancing access to healthcare and supporting our students, will ensure D’Youville continues to prepare nurses who are both highly skilled and deeply compassionate.” 1942 | As the nation heads into World War II, D’Youville College — answering a nationwide call for more nurses — launches the first bachelor’s nursing program in New York. 1950 | Eight years into the program and four years after graduating its first class, the nursing department becomes the School of Nursing. 1957 | D’Youville launches a BSN completion program for nurses coming with with an associate’s degree and for diploma RNs. 1972 | A year after D’Youville College goes co-ed, the School of Nursing admits its first male students. 1978 | The School of Nursing enjoys its highest enrollment with 1,107 total nursing students. 1983 | The School launches its first graduate program in nursing — a Master of Science in Community Health Nursing. 1990s | Between 1989 and 2001, D’Youville launches a dual BSN/Master’s program, a Family Nurse Practitioner program, a five-year dual degree program and new post Bachelor’s certifications. 2010 | Nursing students embark on the School’s first mission trip to the Dominican Republic. 2012 | D’Youville’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program is approved by the NYSED. 2019 | After nearly 70 years as a school, the School of Nursing becomes the Patricia H. Garman School of Nursing, in recognition of her contributions to the nursing profession and her family’s generous contributions to the school. MILESTONES
