The Awards Committee
of the University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing Alumni
Association is honored to recognize you as the
2005 Distinguished Alumna for your major contributions to
the School through your instrumental early leadership of Nurse
Practitioner education in the nation and as one of our early
master’s graduates. You also started one of the very
early acute care emergency trauma Nurse Practitioner programs
at the University of Virginia and, in addition, you helped
lead the early Federal program in primary care education to
prepare Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives.
You have continued throughout your career to advance the
concept of Nurse Practitioner practice and education and we
are very pleased to recognize your many important and distinguished
contributions through this award.
Your distinguished contributions
as a State Representative for Colorado as well as your 20
years of outstanding service as a health professional in the
community health arena are significant and have reflected
well on you and on the College of Nursing, where you received
your master’s degree in 1993.
We want to honor your
achievements including recognition in 2004 as Legislator of
the Year by the National Federation of Independent
Businesses and for the Common Sense in the Courtroom Award
by the Colorado Civil Justice League, and for nominations
for the Lutheran Medical Center’s Human Caring Award
and the Nightingale Award for Excellence in Human Caring.
In addition, you have provided many years of community service
to such organizations as the West Metro Fire Protection Foundation,
Foothills Mental Health Foundation, Friends of Nursing, and
as co-chair of the Jefferson County Human Services & Community
Development Board that dispersed Federal block grant monies.
In recognition of your
tireless work on behalf of Nursing and Nursing students, it
is our great pleasure to inform you that the Awards Committee
of the University of Colorado Denver, College of Nursing Alumni
Association has voted to honor you with a Special Commendation
for your support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education
efforts throughout the State of Colorado.
Through your dedicated and sustained efforts, many nurses
have benefited from scholarship funds that have been established
for support of nursing students to make significant contributions
to health care at the local, state, national and international
levels.
While many others in the “Friends of Nursing”
organization have assisted in fundraising for nursing scholarships
to nursing students throughout the state, you have always
been at the heart of the effort, graciously and effectively
guiding their actions. You have given unsparingly of your
time, energies, personal resources and wise counsel. We are
indebted to you for your major contributions to nursing in
the State of Colorado.
LaFawn Biddle accepts the Special Commendation Award.