Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award

DR. CAROL OLSON LONG, R.N., F.P.C.N., NURS '74
Phoenix

Carol developed a love for the health care profession while working as a candy striper during her high school days in Chicago. Today, she’s an internationally recognized expert and consultant on geriatric and palliative care in community and long-term care settings. Her work has taken her overseas to Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East for training sessions, and she has written numerous publications.

Distinguished Alumna in Service to Nursing Award

DR. SHARON Y. IRVING, R.N., C.R.N.P., NURS '80
Philadelphia

Sharon is a member of the standing faculty at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. In addition, she maintains clinical practice as a nurse practitioner in critical care medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she is also involved in nutrition research. She is also a mentor in a Macy Foundation program geared toward support and encouragement for the next generation of nurses, with an emphasis on minorities entering nursing.

Friends of the College of Nursing Award

CYNTHIA FRIDL GALLAGHER and MICHAEL L. GALLAGHER, GRAD '79
Brookfield, Wis.

In 2009, Mike and Cynthia established a scholarship to honor Mike’s parents. Today, the Bob and Peggy Gallagher Endowed Scholarship provides support for students in the College of Nursing, with a preference for male students interested in palliative or end-of-life care. Mike has served as a board member of ProHealth Care and a trustee of the Walter L. and Grace M. Merten Trust. Cynthia is a former second-grade teacher and longtime administrator of the Brookfield Learning Center.