A $5 million gift from The Annenberg Foundation will support the renovation and renaming of the School of Nursing building for Dr. Claire M. Fagin Hon’94, dean emerita and a pioneer in nursing research.
Fagin served as dean from 1977 to 1992, helping transform the nursing profession through emphasis on research and nursing science. The centers she established, including the Center for Nursing Research, have produced a generation of Penn researchers who have gone on to make significant contributions to the practice of nursing. Fagin also stepped in as the University’s interim president from 1993 to 1994, becoming the first woman to serve as chief executive officer at Penn.
Dr. Afaf Meleis, the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of the School of Nursing, said the gift will “enable us to create an environment for our researchers to continue the advancement of nursing science and thus build on the legacy left by Dr. Fagin.”
The first phase of renovations, finished in September at a cost of $8.5 million, has provided students with an Internet café and space for social interaction, and improved student services and admissions areas. In the $15 million, second-phase of renovations, new labs and offices will be built on the upper floors to encourage closer collaboration between researchers and scholars.
