WACO, Texas (FOX 44) – Baylor University’s School of Nursing receives a groundbreaking $1.5 million dollar gift from the family of Louise Herrington.
The generous donation establishes the first endowed chair position in the school’s history, focusing on mental and behavioral health research. The gift will help aspiring Baylor nursing students to follow their calling.
The gift aligns with Baylor’s mental health initiatives and qualifies for matching support. through the Give Light Campaign’s Illuminate Chair Matching program.
Dean of Louise Herrington School of Nursing Dr. Linda Plank says, “right now, mental health is just one of those areas that you really don’t even have to tell people why…Everyone’s aware that we have a lot of need for more mental health providers.”
The donation comes at a critical time as the school prepares to launch a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner track.
The next step for the nursing school is to fill the position, “the person that we’re looking for should have a well-established history of research. We would like this person to work very collaboratively with at least four schools on the Waco campus, maybe even five, because mental health is definitely something that needs to be a team approach.”
The historic contribution will shape the future of mental health research and education at the school of nursing. The legacy of Louise Herrington lives on through her family’s support, scholarships, and now the endowed chair position. In Waco, Hannah Hoover, FOX 44 News.