Dear Fellow UF College of Nursing Alumnus,
I am writing to share some important news and to offer you an opportunity to show your appreciation for one of the most influential and outstanding educators that likely touched your life during your time at the University of Florida College of Nursing.
Dr. Martha Josephine Snider will be retiring from teaching on May 2, 2014. I can hardly imagine what the College of Nursing will be like without her there, and I am sad for the students coming behind us who will not experience her wealth of knowledge, experience, character, wit and true joy of teaching. She has not only been an excellent educator, but a mentor and friend to so many of us who have passed through her doors.
In 2009, I made the decision to honor Dr. Snider by establishing a scholarship in her name at the College of Nursing. Too often honors such as these come after the individual is no longer able to know how much they were appreciated by those whose lives were influenced by them. I wanted to make sure that she is aware of how much she has meant to me and my career.
As I have run into other former graduates of the college in the years since my graduation, the common faculty name that is always brought up in conversation is Dr. Snider! Although our collective initial reaction to her as students was usually shock and awe, with a little intimidation thrown in, by the time graduation rolled around, she had gained our respect, admiration and affection.
Please help me in showing her how much we appreciate her by contributing to the Dr. Martha “Jo” Snider Fellowship Fund. I’m asking you to give from your heart and realize that any amount is appreciated. Just think about it — is what Dr. Snider did for you worth a few Starbucks you might otherwise enjoy during the next few months? We could also create a list of those who contributed to her fund so she could see all the students who felt as grateful as I have been for her mentorship.
I would be overjoyed if I could present her with a check for the scholarship fund on the night of Commencement, May 2, 2014, that would put HER in a state of “shock and awe!” After 47 years of dedicating her life to educating over 5,000 excellent nurses, I think she deserves it, don’t you?
Please find below ways in which to give to the Snider Fellowship Fund:
- Online at https://www.uff.ufl.edu/OnlineGiving/FundDetail.asp?FundCode=016384&appealcode=GNUAN
- Note that the gift is in honor of Dr. Jo Snider in the “Add Honorary Information” section
- Mail gift check made payable to UF Foundation, noting “Snider Fellowship Fund – in honor of Dr. Jo Snider” in the memo section:
- ATTN: Office of Development
UF College of Nursing
P.O. Box 100197
Gainesville, FL 32610
Please contact Anna Harper, director of development, at aemiller@ufl.edu or 352-273-6360 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Linnea L. Schramm, BSN, MSN, JD