It is hard to believe that I am now beginning my fifth year as dean of this amazing College of Nursing. Soon, we will finalize our next strategic plan and I am humbled that we have accomplished almost every mission and goal of our last strategic plan. The progress made from the last 4 years has set the foundation for this next phase of our “journey to greatness.”

We mark an important milestone in October 2017 with the launch of the UF capital fundraising campaign. The theme of this campaign, “Go Greater,” can be found throughout our goals and initiatives. UF has an overall fundraising goal of $3 billion — one that the President and our campaign advisory board is confident we will achieve. Our college has a $22 million goal to support various educational, research and service programs. Ultimately, private gifts help us achieve our mission: to provide excellent nursing care, generate research and scholarship that have an impact on practice and prepare graduates who care, lead and inspire.

Throughout the past year, each of our Gator Nurse magazines has focused on one or more of our campaign initiatives.

In this issue, we are excited to share our growing work in the area of palliative care. The college is now the home of the UF Center for Palliative Care Education and Research. Under the leadership of endowed professor Diana Wilkie, our palliative care team is poised to make huge strides in improving care and research for palliative care patients. With a rising aging population, we understand how important palliative care will be for our patients. It is amazing to think our College of Nursing will be a national leader in these efforts.

If you are interested in ways to support these and other initiatives, I urge you to learn more from our website and reach out to me or our development staff for more information. We simply could not do what we do without your support.

Help us “Go Greater!”

Anna M. McDaniel