Newswise — ST. LOUIS (August 26, 2019) – Saint Louis University has announced that University trustee and School of Nursing alumna Trudy Busch Valentine has made a gift of $4 million in support of SLU’s nursing school and Accelerating Excellence: The Campaign for Saint Louis University.
In recognition of Busch Valentine’s history of philanthropic support of SLU totaling nearly $7 million, the University has renamed its nursing school the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing.
“Through the generosity of alumni like Trudy Busch Valentine, Saint Louis University has the ability to build the intellectual and physical resources to support a world-class faculty, interdisciplinary research, and education with global impact,” said University President Fred Pestello, Ph.D. “We are grateful for her leadership and counsel as a trustee, and thankful for her support as a benefactor.”
Busch Valentine’s recent $4 million gift was made in honor of former deans Teri Murray, Ph.D., and the late Joan Hrubetz, Ph.D., for their legacy of outstanding leadership that has made the nursing school one of the best in the nation. The gift will support faculty development as well as continued academic excellence among the school’s faculty in teaching, research, scholarship and leadership.
“Trudy recognizes the importance of nursing in our communities and values the world-class nursing education SLU provides as it prepares students to contribute to societal health as graduates,” said Dean Emerita Murray. “Her generous gift serves to further the school’s legacy of excellence and innovation, and I am ecstatic that the school will bear her name.”
Busch Valentine graduated from Saint Louis University’s nursing school in 1980 and has been a member of the Saint Louis University Women’s Council since 1990. She joined the School of Nursing Executive Advisory board in 2000, assuming the chairperson role from 2006 to 2015. She was elected to the Saint Louis University Board of Trustees in 2017.
Busch Valentine and her family have been active supporters of SLU’s nursing school for many years. Her mother, Gertrude Buholzer Busch, established an undergraduate scholarship and the Joan Hrubetz Endowed Chair. In 2012, Busch Valentine and her daughter Christina, a 2012 alumna of the School of Nursing, established the Trudy and Christina Busch Valentine Endowed Lecture Series.
“Nursing has made me respect people from all walks of life, and it has opened my heart, mind and life to the well-being of others,” said Busch Valentine. “I’m so proud to be part of a profession that cares so deeply about people and can make such a positive impact on the lives of others – a profession that lives SLU’s Jesuit mission to seek a higher purpose for the greater good. I am so grateful to the Saint Louis University School of Nursing and very happy to honor Dean Teri Murray, a dear friend and mentor, for her many years of service and magnificent leadership.”
An active conservationist and philanthropist, Busch Valentine has volunteered with and donated to numerous community organizations, including Boys Hope/Girls Hope, Edgewood Children’s Center, Caring Solutions, Almost Home and Churchill School. She has served on many boards, including MICDS School and the Saint Louis Zoo, and has worked as a volunteer nurse at the Salvation Army Residence for Children, Mercy Hospital and the Visiting Nurse Association Hospice program.
The Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing is one of the elite schools of nursing in the country. Through investment made possible by Accelerating Excellence: The Campaign for Saint Louis University, the school aims to become a global leader in nursing education and to graduate students who will be recognized as great and ethical leaders in their organizations and communities.
About Accelerating Excellence:
Accelerating Excellence: The Campaign for Saint Louis University is a historic $500 million comprehensive fundraising effort designed to strengthen Saint Louis University by committing resources to the strategic priorities of academic excellence, health sciences, business education, athletics and scholarships. For more information about Accelerating Excellence, visit slu.edu/campaignforslu.
About Saint Louis University
Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers nearly 13,000 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place. For more information, visit slu.edu.
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