Fall 2007

Message from the Dean | Nursing Briefs | College Partners with Presbyterian for Teacher-Clinician Initiative | 2007 Distinguished Alumni Awards | Endowing Your Values | Professors Legacy Lives on Through Endowed Scholarship

By Ian Van Deusen

Virginia Jackson had a strong impact on her students and on UNM’s College of Nursing. Her influence continues with the Virginia S. Jackson Endowed Scholarship in Nursing, which supports a student working on a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree in nursing.

Virginia’s career as a registered nurse spanned 40 years. She began her career serving as a second lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps, and later as a school nurse in Grand Junction, Colo. Marion Fleck, the college’s founder, invited Virginia to teach at UNM’s then-new College of Nursing.

“She and Marion Fleck admired each other greatly,” says Terry Jackson, Virginia’s daughter. “They were not only personal friends, but respected one another to the max, intellectually and professionally.”

Virginia was highly supportive of her students. Jackson says, “As a teacher, I would say she was demanding, but in a nice way. She didn’t ever expect her students to work any harder than she did. And she worked hard.

“When several of her former students spoke at her memorial, they said some of the things she taught them were compassion and caring for patients, always doing the right thing and always being ethical. She was sure to get those kinds of issues across, to get them ingrained.”

Virginia taught at the College of Nursing for six years. Even after her students graduated, Virginia followed their careers, helping them wherever she could. In 2000, the college dedicated a faculty office in her honor.

When she passed away in May 2006, her family asked for donations to the College of Nursing in lieu of flowers. Virginia consistently supported the college with contributions and fund-raisers, and the Jacksons decided to continue her tradition by putting the donated money toward an endowment.

“My mother was very humble,” Jackson says. “She bragged about her family a lot, but she wouldn’t make a big deal of her own career, which was significant. It’s possible that’s why she didn’t donate anything in her name, so my dad and I thought we would do it ourselves. She didn’t really make a big deal about the contributions she made to nursing, but near the end of her life she knew she had done the best she could, and made significant contributions.”

This is the first semester the endowment is available for a nursing student. The Jacksons left open the criteria for recipients. “Really, the only requirement my father and I would like to see is that it’s a student who is interested in staying in New Mexico after graduation. But it’s not mandatory.”

The endowment will continue Virginia’s support of nursing well into the future. “I’m certain I can say that anyone who knew her professionally respected her a great deal,” says Jackson. “She was highly regarded for her intellect and her contributions to the nursing community. I was proud of her.”