Grant allows UHV to name endowed nursing professor
Thanks to a grant from the M.G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation, the University of Houston-Victoria’s nursing program has honored one of its faculty members with an endowed professorship.
Karen Camargo, clinical assistant professor of nursing, was awarded the UHV Nursing Program Johnson Foundation Endowed Professorship last fall. The two-year endowment gives Camargo an annual stipend in addition to her pay from UHV.
“It is quite an honor to be recognized with this endowment,” Camargo said. “The Johnson Foundation does outstanding work supporting UHV’s students, especially in nursing and other medical-related programs, and it is a privilege to carry this title.”
Camargo was nominated for the endowment by Cindy Hudson, founding director of UHV’s nursing program. The nomination was confirmed by Fred Litton, dean of the UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development.
“Karen Camagro brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to UHV’s nursing program,” Litton said. “She was a natural choice for the program’s first endowed professor, and I look forward to seeing the program grow and develop through her involvement.”
In her nomination, Hudson applauded Camargo for her professionalism, clinical expertise and online course development skills. She has provided outstanding, quality instruction for students from the beginning of her time at UHV, despite the fact that she joined the faculty only four weeks before the start of the program in fall 2016, Hudson said.
“I am excited to be able to recognize Karen for her excellent contributions to our program,” she said. “Her work as part of the program’s accreditation process has been invaluable. It’s clear from everything she does that she cares about her students and is willing to help them work toward success.”
Camargo sees the endowment as more than just a recognition of her own work, it’s also a show of support for UHV’s nursing program.
“This is just another of many displays from the Johnson Foundation that they see the value in UHV’s nursing program,” Camargo said. “Some of the foundation’s members attended the school’s pinning ceremony in the fall, and it was a pleasure to meet some of the people who have given so much to this university.”
Endowments and stipends are important tools for universities to honor and retain valuable faculty members or bring in new professors, Hudson said. Because of the national shortage of nurses, it is especially important to retain and reward outstanding faculty members who can help the university reach new students.
“The ability to offer an endowment is a great thing for a university, especially a community-focused institution such as UHV,” Hudson said. “Endowments show that the university is supported by the community, and that can draw in other interested faculty members.”
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
