President's Message

Tina Cafeo, MSN ’97, RN, President, JHNAA

As we continue the challenge of engaging our alumni classes, we search for the great ideas of present students as well as alumni classes.  How can we keep you involved in the professional lives of our present students and the alumni association?

The alumni association has been supportive of the School of Nursing from its beginning.  It was the persistence of the alumni association that persuaded the University to agree to make nursing a division of the University.  If the association is to continue, we need your support.  The Johns Hopkins
 
Nurses’ Alumni Association’s only income is from the alumni dues paid to the JHU Alumni Association. We cannot function without your support.  Please become an active alumni member by paying $40 to the JHU Alumni ($20 for graduates from ’04 to ’08). 

These funds let us sponsor Homecoming and the Pinning Ceremony for graduating students.  They also fund the Vigilando section of the maga-zine, the preservation of our nursing history at the archives project, student projects and other networking events.  As you see, the minimal amount of money asked in dues goes a long way in preserving the legacy of the alumni association’s involvement with the present students.

We have mailed a postcard to our alumni asking for not only your financial assistance, but to gain updated personal information and ask if you are willing to be a resource and a mentor to students. The response so far has been wonderful.  Alumni are agreeing to be available to our students.  If you have not responded to the postcard yet, please consider getting involved.  Hopkins nursing students have interests and career plans that extend beyond Baltimore.  Being available to students through the alumni association will enable students to reach out to nurses all over the country and the world. Be a resource for new alumni relocating to your area.

Alumni in surrounding hospitals have already started the mentoring process through organizing share time for nursing students in specified areas of interest. If you are local and want to be a mentor for share time and questions, email Melinda Rose at mrose@son.jhmi.edu.

I ask you to be involved.  Join social networks-JHUInCircle, Facebook (there is a ‘JHUSON alumni’ page), or LinkedIn and start networking with other Hopkins nursing alumni.  Check out the School of Nursing website, www.nursing.jhu.edu. Send us your e-mail address and an update of what you are doing. We want to communicate through email when we can.  Stay connected! We depend on you.