Retired physician Jean Brooks created the Helen Elizabeth Brooks Faculty Program Endowment in honor of her daughter Helen, who earned her BSN and MSN from the School of Nursing.

This endowment allowed Nursing professor Jie Hu to travel to an American Thoracic Society Conference in San Francisco, giving her the chance to share her research, gain new knowledge, raise her profile in the field, and make contacts with nurses and physicians from around the world. "The information you get is so rich because it is a gathering of experts in one place."

Supporting faculty excellence is a key means for ensuring that professors, students and the university have the proper tools and skills to thrive in the 21st century.