Commencement, Alumni & Family Event, President’s Gala, and the FNU Day of Giving Highlight a Busy Fall at Frontier

The extra-large Fall 2023 issue of the FNU Quarterly Bulletin is jam-packed with coverage of FNU’s event-filled Fall of 2023, which was one of the busiest in recent memory. It all began in September with Commencement, our largest annual event once again held at the historic Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. This year’s celebration was larger than ever, with the first-ever Alumni and Family post-commencement event. All of the graduates and their families were invited to the FNU campus after commencement for an afternoon of live music, food, games, campus tours, and celebration.

Another first-time FNU event came in October, with the President’s Celebration Gala in honor of FNU President Dr. Susan Stone. Dr. Stone, who has served as FNU’s President since 2001, will transition into her new role as the University’s appointed Distinguished Chair of Midwifery and Nursing at some point in 2024 once a new FNU president has been identified.

FNU’s second annual Day of Giving was also held in October. The event goals were to raise $50,000 from 100 donors. Instead, 129 donors, including a current FNU student who issued a special challenge, donated over $73,000.

For each of the past nine years, FNU has held virtual events in celebration of National Midwifery Week (held annually in October) and National Nurse Practitioner Week (held annually in November). These events, sponsored by Southern Cross Insurance, feature presentations on various topics from leading nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners nationwide. Click the buttons below to visit the event sites to view the 2023 sessions, including free CE sessions:

National Midwifery Week Presentations

National Nurse Practitioner Week Presentations

Other fall highlights included a major grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, two national university award announcements, and news about the 2024 Courier program.

The Fall issue also includes a tribute to FNU Associate Professor and Department Chair for the Department of Family Nursing Dr. Lisa Chappell, who passed away in November, and the story of an FNU alumnus and her incredible mission trips to Rwanda.

All of this, along with the usual alumni news and notes, faculty publications, and updates on upcoming events, are captured in the Fall Quarterly Bulletin, which is available to read online or download at Frontier.edu/publications.