MEDIA CONTACT: Linda Holtz
561-297-0159, lholtz@fau.edu

FAU's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing Receives $1 Million Gift from Dodson Family Foundation

BOCA RATON, FL (May 2, 2005) - The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing received a gift in the amount of $1 million from the Dodson Family Foundation. The gift will qualify for a 75 percent match under the state of Florida matching gift program, and will establish an endowed fund to be known as the Libby Dodson Endowment for Nursing Excellence. Named in honor of Elizabeth "Libby" Dodson, a Boca Raton nurse and philanthropist, the endowment will help support the advancement of nursing as a discipline and profession. The auditorium in the new Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing building will be named in honor of Dodson and her late husband Harry Dodson.

"Libby Dodson's very generous gift comes to FAU at a critically important time, as Dean Boykin and the faculty of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing work to address the shortage of nurses in Florida and around the nation," said FAU President Frank T. Brogan. "We thank her most sincerely for this wonderful expression of confidence in our nursing program."

Born Elizabeth Kara in the small Pennsylvania coal mining town of Pricedale, Dodson was the child of Hungarian immigrants who stressed to their children the necessity of higher education. After graduating from nursing school at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh, she continued her studies by earning a nursing degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Dodson holds an honorary doctorate from California University of Pennsylvania.

Upon retirement, the Dodsons moved to Boca Raton, Fl., where they became involved in various charities, such as the local Red Cross. After her husband's death in 1992, Dodson continued her important philanthropic work. Her gift of $1 million to the Boca Raton Community Hospital gave the hospital a cardiac rehabilitation center. Another gift to California University of Pennsylvania helped build an alumni center named in honor of her parents Julia and Michael Kara.

"Mrs. Dodson's gift reflects her love of and passion for nursing," said Dr. Anne Boykin, dean of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. "What a privilege it is to have an endowment focused on advancing the discipline and profession of nursing. We are grateful for this most generous gift which will support nursing excellence."

"We are so fortunate that our college of nursing will benefit from the Dodson family's generosity," said Ann Paton, vice president for University Advancement. "Mrs. Dodson is helping the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing as it continues to build its reputation as one of the nation's most prominent nursing programs."

-FAU-

Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the university serves 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida's southeastern coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a world-class faculty, FAU hosts eight colleges - the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, and the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering & Computer Science, and Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs. The University is observing its 40th anniversary this year.