Welcome-Back BBQ
TTUHSC El Paso and Lone Star Title Host Welcome Back Barbecue to Kick Off the 10-Year Anniversary Celebration of the Hunt School of Nursing
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, in partnership with Lone Star Title, held a welcome back barbecue for students and employees, celebrating their return to campus and launching the 10th anniversary celebration of the Hunt School of Nursing.
The Hunt School of Nursing’s anniversary activities – which will culminate in Cirque de Corazón, an outdoor celebration event to be held May 6, 2022 on the TTUHSC El Paso campus – mark the school’s contributions to higher education and health care in the Paso del Norte region.
The Hunt School of Nursing has made tremendous strides in combating the critical shortage of nurses in the Paso del Norte region and West Texas. Before opening its doors in 2010, El Paso County had a 40% nursing shortage compared to the national average. Ten years later, that shortage has been reduced to 20%.
To date, the Hunt School of Nursing has graduated 824 students. Seventy-five percent of those graduates are El Paso natives, with the vast majority remaining in the region to serve our community. The school currently has partnerships with every hospital in the El Paso community, which includes both clinical rotation opportunities and job placements post-graduation.
Tuesday’s barbecue featured grab-and-go food and giveaways, including free values-based culture T-shirts that highlight TTUHSC El Paso’s commitment to service, advancement, teamwork, accountability, integrity and respect.
During the event, Lone Star Title, the presenting sponsor of Cirque de Corazón, announced a $45,000 gift for nursing scholarships to kick off the celebration and campaign. Lone Star, the market leader in real estate information, title insurance and settlement services, has been proudly headquartered in El Paso since 1999.
During Nurses Week 2021, the company committed financial resources to the Champions of Trusted Heroes scholarship campaign, a community-driven, employer-matched fundraising initiative for the Hunt School of Nursing that led to the creation of a $100,000 current-use nursing scholarship fund.
“Lone Star knows that we would not be the successful company we are today without our customer and community support. The Company is honored to financially commit to the future of our TTUHSC El Paso health care heroes!” said Susan Martin, who oversees business development and marketing for the company. “There’s truly no amount of recognition or thanks that can be given to those selflessly improving the health of others. From all of us at The Local Brand, thank you, and to Dr. Stephanie Woods and the students, faculty and staff that make up the remarkable Hunt School of Nursing program at TTUHSC El Paso, you are the true heroes of our community.”
Every dollar raised for the campaign and anniversary celebration event will go toward nursing scholarships, with the ultimate goal of establishing a $500,000 permanent scholarship endowment by May 2022. Other event sponsors to date include: Peter Piper Pizza, Bravo Dealerships, Wells Fargo Bank, Texas Gas Service, In*Situ Architecture, ADP and Guerra Investments.
Additionally, community champions Tita Hunt, Claudia Chiu and Robin Furman will once again join TTUHSC El Paso as committee chairs for the celebration, previously serving as committee chairs for the Foster School of Medicine’s 10-year anniversary.
“The announcement of this campaign and the celebration of our 10 years in the community mark a huge milestone on this campus and in El Paso and West Texas,” said Stephanie Woods, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the Hunt School of Nursing. “Lone Star Title’s partnership, along with all of our sponsors and donors, ensures that our graduates will continue making a lasting impact on the ever-improving quality of health care in our community.”
TTUHSC El Paso is one of only two health sciences centers designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution – and the only one on the U.S.-Mexico border — preparing the next generation of health care heroes, with 50% of students identifying as Hispanic. It serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved.
For more ways to sponsor and contribute to scholarships, contact Craig Holden at 915-215-5903 or craig.holden@ttuhsc.edu.