ANNUAL REPORT OF UPSILON LAMBDA CHAPTER
at MGH Institute of Health Professions.
March 20, 2008 to July 1,
2009.
March 20, 2008: Chartering Ceremony of
Upsilon Lambda conducted.
History: Chartering followed several
years of preparation under Presidents Patrice Nicholas, and Joanne
O’Sullivan. In 2005 I was elected president with Rick Ahern as VP,
Faculty Counselors Karen Wolf and Alex Paul-Simon, Treasurer Cammie
Townsend, and Secretary Susan Rich.
2008-09 was a year of establishing and
strengthening the solid structures that would allow the Chapter to
move forward as an organization. We reconfigured our leadership
succession and governance committees. These structures are the “boat”
which will take the Honor society into future waters. The board met
in the Spring and Fall to plan this move. A wider meeting for members
was planned and conducted December 10, 2008.
Dec 10, 2008: The Chapter’s
Mission was presented by Patrice Nicholas, Regional coordinator and
myself. We spoke on being intentionally global, mentoring leaders (w
mini-Leadership Academy), using Sigma’s LinkedIn, inviting and
inducting ten new nurse leaders, and establishing governance anew.
Toward this end new members were elected to participate at the
committee levels, nominees for officers were put forward and we began
planning an educational collaborative with other chapters in March
09.
March 5, 2009 Educational
Collaboration: We joined with chapters Epsilon Beta, Alph Chi, Beta
Zeta-at-Large, Rho Phi, Pi Epsilon-at-Large and Eta Omega in a joint
meeting held at Regis college, Weston, MA on March 5th.
Former STTI president Dr. Carol Picard gave an inspirational message
entitled ‘Human Flourishing and Leadership’. Referencing Gladwell
(2008) on community, Negri (2007) on compassion and social empathy,
and Amabile & Khair (2008) she urged us to appreciate the space
needed for innovation and creativity. She concluded with a profound
African saying on interdependence: “I am because you are.”
Web Site: Member Derek Lichter
established our new web site that
is fully integrated with the MGHIHP Alumni web site.
Upsilonlambda.org includes news, events, photos, president’s
corner, and links.
Treasury: The society is exploring a
scholarship program to support student leadership and research. A
significant contribution was made to STTI Foundation for Nursing
Excellence.
Winter-Spring: Board and new committee
members met twice monthly by phone conferencing to keep abreast of
our developing programs: inviting nurse leaders, building the web
site, holding electronic elections, and induction planning.
April 23, 2009: Induction Ceremony. The
formal charter was presented to IHP President Janis Bellak and new
Nursing School Dean Marjory Chisholm who spoke. This was the first
time we inducted baccalaureate and doctoral students from the two new
programs developed by Dr. Chisholm. Appreciation was given to Alex
Paul-Simon’s unstinting work on behalf of the society.
Elections: A slate of nominees were
approved by the Board and first-time electronic elections were
successfully held. > 40 votes were cast and a few write-ins.
Jamie
Davis, President
Rick Ahern, President-elect
Sarah Campbell, VP
Cammie Townsend, Treasurer
Margaret Mahoney, Faculty Counselor
Stephanie Ahmed, Secretary.
Committees:
Leadership: Alex Paul-Simon, Sheila
Davis, Derek Lichter.
Governance: Margaret Mahoney, Meghan Noonan
and Donna Barry.
Ex-officios Alex Paul-Simon and Inge Corliss.
June 2009: Board transition meeting held.
Conclusion: Upsilon Lambda at MGH
Institute of Health Professions is in a strong position financially
and with new leadership and a growing membership situated in a School
of Nursing that includes baccalaureate to doctoral nursing. Upsilon
Lambda’s direction is aligned with Sigma’s call for collaboration
in leadership, competence, compassion, and sustainability.
The potential of Upsilon Lambda is
enormous. Latticed movements and initiatives, whether nursing or
other forms, flourish through collaboration on small and large scales
and support the experience of global interdependence. A few ambitious
areas for noetic collaboration by Upsilon Lambda include human
rights, working with trauma and disaster, global health and
eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, combating HIV/AIDS and
other diseases, developing integrative medicine, creating sustainable
environmental practices, impacting hostile health care environments,
and contributing to establishing universal healthcare.
Nurses are global citizens in a
lattice-work of global interdependence.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert B. Wall, M.Div., MSN, APRN-BC.
Past President, 2005-09, Upsilon Lambda
Chapter.
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