GIVING BACK
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INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE – A NEW SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The MUSC College of Nursing is pleased to announce that we have received an anonymous donation, given in honor of Kay K. Chitty, EdD, RN to fund partial scholarships for graduate students (MSN, DNP, PhD) from under-represented populations who have demonstrated financial need and a serious interest in and intent to practice as a provider of reproductive health services to women. These scholarships have been made possible through an anonymous Donor-Advised Fund at Coastal Community Foundation. The Foundation’s Regional Vice President Edie Blakeslee stated, “We are pleased to provide this gift in honor of Dr. Chitty. Having served on our board for many years we know first hand Kay is an inspiration and valuable resource.” A long time friend of MUSC and the College of Nursing, Dr. Chitty has been quite instrumental in our success. She has served as a member of the MUSC Foundation Board of Directors and as the Chair of the College of Nursing’s Dean’s Advisory Board bringing her considerable insight and expertise to help the boards and the university move progressively forward to improve the lives of the state’s citizens. Dr. Chitty is viewed as a leader and visionary in the nursing community and brings an informed and compassionate voice to the health care forum. She distinguished herself as a health care pioneer by establishing the first independent nursing practice in North Carolina in 1978. A prolific writer, Dr. Chitty has published over 100 articles and chapters for professional journals and authored the best selling nursing textbook, Professional Nursing: Concepts
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and Challenges, which is used as a primary reference for nursing students across the country. She has held faculty appointments at the University of South Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC) where she retired as dean of the School of Nursing. Upon her retirement, Chattanooga’s Memorial Hospital established the Kay K. Chitty Professorship in Nursing at UTC to honor her service as chairperson of both that hospital’s board and the board of Women’s East Pavilion, a Memorial subsidiary. In 2010 MUSC awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Science degree, and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University presented her - Edie Blakeslee, Coastal Community Foundation with the Distinguished Nursing Achievement Award. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Dr. Chitty has served in leadership roles on the boards of a number of not-for-profit agencies. While in Tennessee she led task forces and fund-raising campaigns that established both the Chattanooga Area Safe Space, a shelter for battered women, and the Rape Crisis Center. After retiring from UTC, she returned to her native South Carolina and now resides in Mount Pleasant. Retirement for Dr. Chitty, however, has been as full and rewarding as her professional career. She has worked with several outstanding organizations, including the Coastal Community Foundation, Crisis Ministries, Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina, and Women Making A Difference. It is, therefore, not surprising that a nursing scholarship has been established in her honor and the College of Nursing is grateful for all that Dr. Chitty has done, and continues to do, for both the profession and the university. Clearly, the generosity and support of individuals as this anonymous donor is essential to our success. Gifts such as these will benefit the lives of many nurses and the patients for whom they will provide care. If you would like to honor a friend or loved one by establishing a nursing scholarship in their honor, or make a donation to any one of our existing scholarships, please contact Laurie Scott, director of development for the College of Nursing, by calling (843) 792-8421 or email to scotlk@musc.edu.
Having served on our board for many years, we know first hand that Kay is an inspiration and valuable resource.”
FALL | WINTER 2012
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