More Than $1.2 Million Raised for Ann E. Schiele Presidential Endowment Fund
Mount Carmel College of Nursing (MCCN) President and Dean Ann Schiele PhD, RN, was honored at the 15th annual Champagne and Diamonds gala, held by the Mount Carmel Foundation May 10 at the Columbus Hilton at Easton, to salute her legacy as she completes her final year at MCCN. Thanks to the generosity of more than 530 physicians, corporate partners and community leaders, the gala helped bring total contributions for the Ann E. Schiele Presidential Endowment Fund to $1.2 million, a tribute to Dr. Schiele’s incredible vision and impact on the College and her dedication to the field of nursing education.
After 53 years at Mount Carmel, all but four of them at MCCN, Dr. Schiele will become President Emeritus in July. As the longest sitting president of any college or university in Ohio, Dr. Schiele developed one of the largest nursing education programs in the State of Ohio and has served as inspiration and a mentor to countless students and nursing professionals.
Among her crowning achievements is the transition of Mount Carmel School of Nursing into Mount Carmel College of Nursing, transforming the program into a fully accredited degree-granting institution. From an initial class of 32 when the College was first chartered in 1990, MCCN now has 1,167 students enrolled at the College, making it one of the largest undergraduate nursing programs in Ohio. In addition, under Dr. Schiele’s leadership, the College also offers a highly competitive 13-month Second Degree Accelerated Program and Online RN-BSN Completion Program, as well as a graduate program which offers five tracks leading to a Master of Science degree and has an enrollment of more than 180 students. She also helped establish MCCN’s nursing education program at Fairfield Medical Center, MCCN-FMC.
During her tenure, Dr. Schiele partnered with Kathy Espy, Director of Diversity and Community Initiatives, to develop the Learning Trail program to create a more diverse student body. She also welcomed new additions to the MCCN campus, including the Center for Learning and Education, which added new classrooms, meeting space and the expanded Mount Carmel Health Sciences Library, and two new residence halls.
Wishing to expand partnerships with other colleges and universities, Dr. Schiele established a collaborative effort with Wilmington College, Ohio Dominican University and Lake Erie College for interested nursing students to transition to Mount Carmel College of Nursing during their junior year.
In addition, she also helped establish the Mount Carmel Clinical Skills and Simulation Center, a joint initiative of the College, Mount Carmel Graduate Medical Education and the Mount Carmel Medical Staff, on the Mount Carmel West campus.
A YWCA Woman of Achievement awardee, Dr. Schiele is known for her extensive involvement in the local community, including serving on the boards for the Central Ohio Lions Eye Bank, Maryhaven Addiction Recovery Services, the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Board, the Catholic Foundation, the Ohio Breathing Association, Children’s Hunger Alliance and St. John’s Community Kitchen.
Fittingly, Dr. Schiele was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Columbus CEO Healthcare Achievement Awards in February. The Lifetime Achievement Award “recognizes a long-term healthcare professional who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, knowledge, decision-making skills and commitment to his or her organization, patients and/or profession,” according to the magazine’s award description.
“I really consider Mount Carmel to be more like family than work. I’ve experienced so much joy in watching the School of Nursing grow into the College of Nursing today,” Dr. Schiele said. “I don’t think I have a legacy. All the people in the College collectively, we’ve all taken the best things from each other. I think the legacy of the college a hundred years from now will be that it cares about its students,” she said.
This year’s Champagne and Diamonds gala benefitted the Ann E. Schiele Presidential Endowment Fund, which recognizes Dr. Schiele’s unparalleled commitment and dedication to the field of nursing education with a focus on these four area: Student Scholarships, Collaborative Initiatives, Academics and Research and Community Partnerships. If you are interested in donating to the Ann E. Schiele Presidential Endowment Fund, please contact Jan Burkey, MCCN Director of Development, (614) 234-3837 or at jburkey@mchs.com.