Murray State Nursing Alumni Plan to Support Academic Excellence Through Faculty Support

While they were nursing students at Murray State in the early 1970s, retired Colonels William (“Bill”) M. and Barbara E. Wilder’s lives were forever changed by a faculty member named Dr. Ruth Cole. Not only did Dr. Cole introduce them to each other, leading to their decades-long marriage, but the Wilders also attribute much of their positive college experience and their professional success to the positive influence that Dr. Cole had on them as an excellent and inspiring teacher and mentor. In their retirement, the Wilders knew that they wanted to give back to Murray State in a way that would ensure that nursing students for years to come would have the opportunity to have the same kind of wonderful experience in Murray State’s School of Nursing that they experienced.

Back in 2001, the Wilders had established a Fund for Excellence in Nursing to be used for a variety of purposes to benefit Murray State University’s Nursing Program. By that time, Barbara had been named Murray State’s Distinguished Alumnus for Nursing in 1987, and Bill had been honored as the Outstanding Nursing Alumnus in 1999. They had also both proudly served their country and retired from active duty service. Bill served in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps (1961–1991), and Barbara served in the United States Navy Nurse Corps (1966–1976),  completing her career in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps (1976–1993). But they wanted to do more.

At Homecoming this past fall, the Wilders returned to Murray State’s campus to celebrate Bill’s Golden Reunion, the 50th anniversary of his graduation. While there, they met members of Murray State’s Office of Development and reflected on how important Dr. Cole had been both to their academic and professional lives, as well as their personal lives.  They knew they wanted to do something that would help Murray State continue to be able to attract and retain excellent faculty who would provide future nursing students with the kind of life-changing educational experience that they had received from Dr. Cole.

The result of these discussions, and conversations over several months after Homecoming, was a revised and expanded version of the Wilder Fund for Excellence in Nursing. This revised fund will not only support the Nursing Department with funds for operations, faculty development, student internships, equipment, special seminars and more, but now it will also create three endowed nursing faculty positions, known as the Cols. William M. and Barbara E. Wilder Distinguished Endowed Professorships. The Wilders wanted to make sure that Murray State University’s Nursing Program could continue to provide students with professors of the caliber of Dr. Ruth Cole, and that future nursing students would have the same wonderful educational experience that they enjoyed. And with the planned gift that they recently committed, they are doing just that.