Alumni Class Pictures
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Honorary Degree Recipients
- Dr. Carol Smucker (Honorary Degree Recipient, May 2009)
 Dr. Carol Smucker graduated from the West Suburban Hospital School of
Nursing in August of 1966. She held several Staff Nurse positions across the
country before returning to college to complete her Bachelor of Science in
Nursing degree at Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa. She continued on to
the University of Iowa, where she completed her Master of Science in Nursing
in 1986. That same year, she completed a program of Health Minister
Education to become a Parish Nurse. She then went on to practice as a
Parish Nurse and in nursing education.
Parish Nursing was an area of particular interest to Dr. Smucker. She has
established programs in a church and hospital and developed standards for
the initial model Parish Nurse curricula. She has also written extensively on
this topic.
Her experience has taken her across the United States, from Texas to Illinois,
to Pennsylvania and Iowa, and settling in Tennessee. It was there that she
completed her Ph.D. in Nursing at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville
where her dissertation was on faith nursing.
Dr. Smucker has received honors and awards such as Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma
Theta Tau. She was recognized as the Iowa Nurses’ Association District Nurse
in 1986. In 1993, she was included in the Who’s Who in American Colleges and
Universities.
Recently, Dr. Smucker has been working as a nurse author who has published
numerous articles focusing on themes of faith and parish nursing. She also
authored Faith Community Nursing: Developing a Quality Practice and
co-authored Nursing the Spirit.
- Shirley A. Holt (Honorary Degree Recipient, December 2008)
 The honorary degree recipient for December 2008 is Shirley A. Holt. Shirley began her nursing career in 1957, when she completed the Registered Nurse Diploma Program at the West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing. In the same year, she began working as an Emergency Room Nurse at Elmhurst Hospital and also transferred to Wheaton College, where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1959. Following her graduation from Wheaton College, she went on to complete graduate level course work at the University of Illinois for curriculum development, guidance and counseling. Also in 1959, she began to teach Psychiatric Nursing at Elgin State Hospital. Over the following decade, she volunteered as a special duty nurse for a Girl Scout camp, before serving as Director of Nursing at both Manchester Manor in Wheaton, Illinois, and then St. Charles Medical Center in Aurora, Illinois. In 1974, Shirley was hired by the Illinois Department of Public Health to work as a Registered Nurse in long term care, where she took on the responsibilities of licensure surveying, compliance investigation and other statewide assignments. During the years of 1977-1989, she served as an Administrator for various institutions including: Fox Valley Nursing Center; Westmont Convalescent Center; Elmhurst Terrace and York Convalescent Center. She is currently Clinical Manager, as well as partner in ownership and management at Westmont Convalescent Center, where she also teaches CAN classes. Ms. Holt is known for her excellent clinical skills and superior management style which has gained her the respect of all who work with her.
- Dr. Sharon Bolin (Honorary Degree Recipient, May 2008)
 The honorary degree recipient for May 2008 is Dr. Sharon Bolin. Dr. Bolin’s career started as a staff nurse in 1957 at the West Suburban Hospital. Two years after accepting her position as staff nurse, she became an instructor at the West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing, the predecessor to the West Suburban College of Nursing. She was promoted to Course Chairperson, Assistant Director and Director until finally settling in as the founding Dean & Associate Professor at the newly formed Concordia College & West Suburban College of Nursing in 1982. Dr. Bolin played a pivotal role in transitioning West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing from a diploma granting institution to the baccalaureate of today. During her tenure, she also composted an essay titled, "A Case for the Single Purpose Degree Granting College of Nursing”, which was featured in Patterns in Education: the Unfolding of Nursing. As the title implies, the essay took a stance in favor of baccalaureate nursing programs and no doubt strongly influenced the modern landscape of undergraduate nursing education. Dr. Bolin’s experience goes beyond nursing education, into management and a variety of other service focused positions. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Nurses’ Association, the Illinois Nurses Association and the Georgia Nurses Associate to name just a few. Dr. Bolin is also responsible for various publications appearing in the American Journal of Nursing and the Journal of Nursing Education among others.
- Dr. Pender (Honorary Degree Recipient, December 2007)
 Nola J. Pender, Ph.D. was awarded the Honorary Degree during the December 2007 Graduation Ceremony.
A 1962 graduate of West Suburban Hospital Scholl of Nursing, Dr. Pender is an esteemed Professor of Research in the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan for the past 13 years and is the former President of the American Academy of Nursing.
Dr. Pender's studies have resulted in many publications, including Health Promotion in Nursing Practice. The first edition of this widely used text earned the American Nurses Association Book of the Year Award. She also has a history of focusing on the health of children. After serving as the Director of the Child and Adolescent Health Behavior Research Center, she went on to dedicate her exploration to a computerized physical activity program for pre-teen and teenaged girls.
The former President of the American Academy of Nursing's service to the Nursing Research field has spanned the globe and earned numerous accolades, including the internationally tested Health Promotion Model. The research instruments developed by Dr. Pender and her colleagues are used in many countries, and have been translated in Spanish, Japanese and Korean. Her consulting work has also brought her influence to several countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
- Dr. Mott (Honorary Degree Recipient, May 2007)
 Sandra R. Goosen Mott, Ph.D., R.N. was awarded the Honorary Degree during the May 2007 Graduation Ceremony.
Dr. Mott was recognized for her many accomplishments and contributions to the nursing profession. A 1963 graduate of West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing, Dr. Mott continued to pursue her love and zeal for nursing through continued academic achievements and a rich employment history culminating most recently in her current positions as Associate Professor of Nursing at the Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing and as the President of the Society of Pediatric Nurses. She continues to advance the nursing profession through her membership in numerous professional and learned societies, published work, research projects and presentations.
Class Pictures
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