UHV nursing professor wins award
 |
| Linda Dune |
HOUSTON - Linda Dune, an assistant professor in the University of Houston-Victoria School of Nursing, recently received the Excellence in Nursing Bronze Award from the Good Samaritan Foundation in the Nursing Education: Faculty category.
“Our Excellence in Nursing Awards honor nurses who demonstrate a passion for the nursing profession and a desire to excel beyond expectations,” said Ellen Tuffly, director of development for the Houston-based foundation.
Award winners are nominated by their peers. Gold and silver award winners are selected by a committee of elite representatives of the medical community. All others receive a bronze award.
Dune and the other award recipients will be honored at a Sept. 17 luncheon in Houston. Winners will be presented with a pin and a certificate.
“I’m just ecstatic about being recognized as having excellence in nursing, and I really am proud of getting the award on behalf of nursing education,” Dune said.
Dune was one of the two original faculty members UHV hired in 2006 to start the nursing program, which became a school in December of 2007. She also oversees the Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Her teaching philosophy is simple.
“I keep nursing education on a practical level,” she said. “I make sure that I mentor my students in all of the components of nursing.”
The goal of a nurse is to make a difference in patients’ lives by taking them to the point when they are able to care for themselves, she said. As an educator, it is her passion to inspire students by teaching them to care for patients, their families and the community.
Dune’s award brought praise from the leader of her school.
“Dr. Dune is a wonderful nurse and nurse educator who is inspiring the next generation of the profession to achieve excellence,” said Kathryn Tart, founding dean of the UHV School of Nursing. “I’m glad to see her receive some richly deserved recognition.”
Good Samaritan Foundation was founded in 1951 to address the nurse workforce shortage in Texas, Tuffly said. Since then, it has given more than $15 million in scholarships to more than 12,000 students across the state. Along with granting nursing student scholarships, the foundation works with nursing schools to create innovative solutions to address the faculty shortage and rewards those nurses who exemplify the finest qualities of the nursing profession.
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.
