Encouraging Tomorrow's Leaders in Nursing

Dean Harriet R. Feldman is a proud leader and educator who acknowledges the value of scholarship and support, a catalyst for her own professional success. Dean Feldman was fortunate to have parents who were able to help her cover the costs of her diploma education, and the rest of her education was partially funded by a traineeship (at the time, a federal grant designed to increase the number of qualified nurses in the country).

The first in her family to attend college, Dean Feldman both worked to earn spending money throughout her education, and when she needed to live at home to manage, to pay her parents a modest rent (which her mother saved and then gave to her when she got married).

Heading into her PhD program, she then took on the burden of student debt to finance the last leg of her education. She spent 10 years paying that education back, and the experience was pivotal in cementing her interest in "paying it forward" to support future students.

Dean Feldman chose to "pay it forward" by investing in supporting students through writing excellence, establishing the Harriet R. and Ronald M. Feldman Writing Award within the College of Health Professions in 2007. Each year the prize is awarded to a nursing student who submits an outstanding personal essay. This opportunity helps support and reinforce the value of developing strong writing skills throughout one's career, a skill Dean Feldman believes is especially critical for nurses.

In addition, her estate gift will start a new scholarship fund geared toward PhD in Nursing students. Through this award, Dean Feldman hopes to continue encouraging the Pace nursing community to be leaders within their field and contribute to evolving science, education, and practice. She believes her gift will help distinguish their achievements and contribute to thought leadership within the field of nursing, paying it forward not only through her support of Pace students, but through strengthening the knowledge bank within the nursing profession.

A Q&A with Harriet Feldman

Generally, people leave their estate to those who are their closest family and friends; please describe why you are including Pace among your closest family and friends.
My wonderful family will be the largest beneficiaries of my estate. However, I have decided to leave Pace a portion of my estate to provide tuition assistance to our PhD in Nursing students. Establishing this program has been one of my biggest accomplishments during my time at Pace. This group of scholars is vital to the future of Nursing science and education, and I am thrilled make this my legacy.

By including Pace in your estate, Pace is part of your legacy; please describe how you want your estate gift to Pace to define part of your legacy.
One of many professional contributions I am very proud of is my record of communication through publication. I believe it is the responsibility of nurses at all levels, particularly nurse leaders, to give voice to the profession through the dissemination of knowledge and ideas. My commitment stems back to my early days as a nurse and continues to this very day. I am hopeful that the stimulus of a writing award will lead others to develop this commitment.

As an educator, after your estate gift passes to Pace, what would you like for the students who receive your scholarship to learn from your estate gift?
I hope that future students will “pay it forward.” I was fortunate to have much of my education funded through a federal grant (traineeship) designed to increase the number of qualified nurses in the country. As a first generation college student whose parents did not complete their high school education, I took little for granted. My parents paid for my diploma education ($1,500 per year in 1963 when I started the nursing program) and I worked in the medical library four nights a week to make spending money ($25/week); after that I was on my own. The traineeship paid full tuition and some spending money and I worked per diem as a nurse to pay rent (to my parents, as I moved back home to be able to manage). Likewise, my master’s degree was paid through the traineeship. I know fully and appreciate the importance of financial assistance during one’s education. I paid for my PhD and took 10 years to pay off those loans. Paying it forward means helping others in similar situation, which is what the current award does and will continue to do.