Laura and Joe Street donate $2.5 million to WTAMU nursing school
Husband and wife duo Joe and Laura Street made a $2.5 million donation to West Texas A&M University, establishing the now Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing in WTAMU's College Nursing and Health Sciences, as announced during a Thursday morning presentation held at the WT Harrington Academic Hall in Amarillo.
The gift is the couple's largest gift to date donated to WT. As stated during the announcement, the former department of nursing, now a School of Nursing, is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.
WTAMU said the university provides about 70 percent of nurses in the Texas Panhandle, with graduates' passing rates on the National Council Licensure Examination averaging 97 percent over the past five years.
Dr. Holly Jeffreys, dean of WT’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, spoke about the opportunities that the naming establishment of the school will provide for WT nursing students.
"With this now being a school of nursing, this will allow for additional opportunities and scholarships. For so many of our students who have done very well, we have been able to offer scholarships, but this will further that and allow us to offer even more and possibly higher amounts for the students that need the most financial help," Jeffreys said.
Co-donor Laura Street spoke about the impact WT made on her personally as she earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing and a family nurse practitioner master’s degree after the couple made Amarillo their home in 1984. Laura Street also is a 2018 WT Distinguished Alumna.
In addition to providing a $500,000 endowment for operational support of the Street School of Nursing, the gift will provide $1.4 million in scholarships and graduate assistantships, and $600,000 to name two new professorships: the Laura Street Distinguished Professor of Nursing and the Todd David Street Distinguished Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health, named for the late brother of Joe Street. The professors will be appointed at a later date.
Laura Street said that with this donation, she also hopes to inspire more students to enter the medical field, as well as create more access for students to enter the mental health field to combat addiction and mental health issues within the Panhandle area.
"Mental health has become, over the last few years, the challenge that we have in our nation that needs so much because it has not had very much support. We couldn't event talk about mental health challenges 20 years ago because it was such a taboo," Laura Street said.
Laura Street said that with the establishment of the upcoming psychiatric hospital in Amarillo, in collaboration with the recent passing of legislature offering more mental health funding, she feels the panhandle area will be able to provide even more resources to the community within the upcoming years.
"Now, we have the legislature working on funding, helping us in that way; we have organizations, professionals and hospitals all working together. We are also getting ready to have a psychiatric hospital here in our area. What we don't have is the workforce. We have to have a greater workforce to meet the challenges of mental health and addiction," Laura Street added.
WT President Walter V. Wendler spoke about what the donation means for their ongoing One West Campaign and how it furthers their goal to raise $175 million by the year 2025.
"This is a significant donation, and it propels us. We are currently at $158 million and change, and this will be used to further us towards our goal of $175 million. Personally, I feel like we have the momentum, and I want to see the goal moved to $200 million, a nice round number," Wendler said.
For more information about WTAMU or the nursing program, visit them online at https://www.wtamu.edu/ .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WTAMU announces new Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing
