By Jill Yesko, University Relations
A new professorship in health administration will be established at UNCG through a gift of $333,000 from the Forsyth Medical Center Foundation.
The new professorship will be called the Forsyth Medical Center Distinguished Professorship in Health Care Administration and will be a joint appointment in the Bryan School of Business and Economics and the School of Nursing. UNCG will apply for a 50 percent match of $167,000 from the state’s Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund. The Forsyth Medical Center Foundation is pledging the gift over five years.
The post will be dedicated to the MSN-MBA degree program offered collaboratively by the Bryan School and the School of Nursing. The Program prepares BSN nurses to enter executive-level health care management positions by providing advanced education in their field along with essential business skills. The professor will be located at the Bryan School.
“We are so pleased with the nurses that UNCG provides us that are well-educated and well-qualified,” said G. Dee Smith, president of the Forsyth Medical Center Foundation. “We thought there would be much more of an advantage to provide graduates with an MBA so they could become better leaders.”
“This professorship will provide a needed area of expertise in health care administration for both our doctoral program in nursing and our nursing administration masters program,” said Dr. Lynne Pearcey, dean of the School of Nursing.” The professor will support the health sciences focus area at UNCG.”
The Forsyth Medical Center Foundation is a not-for-profit, philanthropic arm of Novant Health, an integrated healthcare system in western North Carolina that serves more than 3.4 million people in 32 counties reaching from southern Virginia to northern South Carolina. The foundation supports research and programs in areas such as women’s health, cancer and health education. To date, the foundation has raised more than $30 million in cash and pledges.
The need for nurses with MSN-MBA degrees is expected to grow as health care facilities and businesses realize the tremendous value for those with this degree, noted Pearcey.
“Through our collaborative effort, the MSN-MBA program will meet the growing demand for health care administrators in the Triad and beyond,” said Dr. James Weeks, dean of the Bryan School.
The Bryan School has 75 faculty members and 2,500 students; the School of Nursing has 57 faculty members and educates over 1,400 students. Each school offers studies ranging from undergraduate to doctoral.
