Samford's Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing held it's 2011 commencement ceremonies May 13.
The school, founded in 1922, conferred 37 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees, 96 Master of Science in Nursing Degrees and 26 Doctor of Nursing Degrees during a ceremony in Samford's Wright Concert Hall. Among the graduates were Ken Taylor and his mother, Karen Taylor, receiving the Master of Science in Nursing degree and Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, respectively.
In lieu of a commencement speaker, the school presented a video produced for the occasion. The Golden Thread takes its title from the words of Ida V. Moffett, who wrote that "Caring is the shining thread of gold that holds together the tapestry of life". Moffett dedicated 70 years of her life to nursing and to nursing education in particular. She led the school when it was the Birmingham Baptist Hospitals School of Nursing and lived to see it named in her honor and relocated to Samford, where it has flourished since the 1970s.
Appearing in the commencement video, Dean Nena Sanders said the golden thread connects the faculty, students and alumni of Samford's nursing program across the decades, and to all of the patients whose lives they have touched.
The Golden Thread features interviews with Samford nursing faculty and shows nursing students in classroom, hospital and field settings. Throughout, the speakers and images reinforce Moffett's emphasis on caring, faithful service and continuous learning.
"As I think about Ms. Moffett on the day of graduation I think that she would be very proud to know that the faculty continue with her legacy through their commitment to caring, " Sanders said in the video, "and by doing so instill in the students and the graduates that core value of caring and compassion".