Annual Report 2008-2009

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.