Leaving on a High Note

Cabaniss Challenge caps off nursing dean’s legacy of excellence

Dr. Nancy F. Langston served for 22 years as dean and professor in the VCU School of Nursing.
Dr. Nancy F. Langston served for 22 years as dean and professor in the VCU School of Nursing.

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing’s Cabaniss Leadership Challenge campaign concluded in June after nearly two years of intense effort. The challenge aimed to increase alumni giving rates, add more friends to the School of Nursing and raise $4 million in scholarships for students, professorships for faculty, and major endowment funds that will advance nursing research, practice and service.

“The Cabaniss Leadership Challenge will play a critical role to ensure our rich legacy and sustained leadership in nursing research, education and service,” said Nancy F. Langston, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, ANEF, dean and professor in the VCU School of Nursing. “The challenge’s success will have a transformative effect on our efforts to recruit and retain the best and brightest students and faculty and on our capability to reach even greater heights of nursing excellence.”

The challenge brought in just over $4 million in gifts and pledges, creating 20 new endowment funds and adding significant funding to 39 existing endowment funds to support scholarships, professorships and other activities that bolster the school’s mission to improve health and the human condition through leadership in nursing research, education and service. Based on this success, the VCU Board of Visitors approved at its February meeting the naming of the VCU School of Nursing building for Sadie Heath Cabaniss, the founding director of the School of Nursing and initiator of professional nursing in Virginia.

The Cabaniss Challenge concluded on June 30, coinciding with the summer retirement of Langston, who is leaving a rich legacy of significant growth in enrollment, programs, research and community outreach. Langston served as dean for 22 years. Her retirement comes as the School of Nursing celebrates the 120th year since its founding in 1893.

“I have enjoyed the privilege of working with such a visionary leadership team to bring our school to greater heights of nursing excellence over the years,” Langston said. “As I reflect on leaving during the school’s 120th year, I am pleased to have been a part of setting the standard for nursing education in Virginia and beyond.”

Continuing the school’s legacy, Langston forged strong ties with alumni of both the VCU School of Nursing and the former St. Philip School of Nursing. She has worked tirelessly with a range of alumni and friends to increase the school’s annual fundraising totals from less than $500,000 in 1990-91 to more than $1.5 million in 2011-12. Under Langston’s leadership, the VCU School of Nursing raised more than $12 million — exceeding its $10 million goal — during the Campaign for VCU. In addition to raising $3 million in private support for the school’s $17 million state-of-the-science building, which opened in 2007, these funds supported endowed scholarships for students and endowed professorships for faculty, providing critical support for current and future generations of VCU Nursing leaders.