ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Columbia Southern University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS) recently honored two recipients with the university’s inaugural DAISY Award®.
The awards are part of The DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the faculty who inspire compassionate care in their students and the students who demonstrate it during their education. During the awards ceremony, CNHS Dean Bonny Kehm, Ph.D., shared that both award recipients nominated each other for their respective awards.
CSU lead faculty member and experiential learning coordinator Mariah Holwick was awarded the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educators for her dedication to academic excellence.
“Nursing has never felt like just a career choice, it has always felt like a calling,” said Holwick. “Supporting people during their times of greatest need and helping them regain confidence and hope has been part of who I am for as long as I can remember.”
Matthew Shuffstall, a recent graduate of CSU’s RN-to-BSN program, was given the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students. Shuffstall, whose background is in EMS education, was excited to put his recent coursework into action for his own students.
“I’m already going back through and making new rubrics more defensible, things I learned through my Q/A, looking at all of the data in the project that Mariah helped me with,” said Shuffstall. “Not only did she really help me succeed in obtaining my BSN, but she helped the students that I teach now through her wisdom and guidance through me.”
The DAISY Foundation was founded in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The organization was established to commemorate the extraordinary care he and his family received from nurses during Barnes’ hospital stay.
"We honor faculty who inspire nurses to care like Patrick's nurses cared for him and for our family. Recognizing and celebrating nursing students for the above-and-beyond care and compassion they show to patients and their families will be a strong reminder that nursing is not all about tasks and technology,” said Bonnie Barnes, CEO and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation.
Nursing faculty and students may be nominated by colleagues, peers, patients, families or alumni. The recipients are chosen by an awards committee, which will be presented annually. Please email CSU-Communications@ColumbiaSouthern.edu for interview inquiries.
About Columbia Southern University
As an innovator in online education, CSU was established in 1993 to provide an alternative to the traditional university experience for today’s adult learner. CSU offers online associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in business administration, criminal justice, fire administration, occupational safety and health, and more. Visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu or call (877) 347-6050 to learn more.
About The DAISY Foundation
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from Nurses while he was ill inspired the creation of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, an evidenced-based means of providing Nurse recognition and thanking Nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. In addition to The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educators and The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Students, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in thousands of healthcare facilities and schools of nursing globally with various recognition programs for nurses wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve, and throughout their careers. More information is available at DAISYfoundation.org.