Auburn graduates, Suzanne and Cary Chandler (′83) understand the critical nature of supporting AUCON facilities. Thanks to their generosity and passion for the college, they have established The Lawrence-Chandler Family Endowed Fund for Excellence to support, sustain, upgrade and improve our simulation lab technology on an ongoing basis.
A 1983 graduate of Auburn University in economics, Cary Chandler is the senior director at the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation and director of Business Development and Startups at Auburn University. Suzanne Lawrence Chandler graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1983.
“My enthusiasm to fund the simulation lab grew from 2016 when I was asked to contribute to the new nursing school building,” said Chandler. “I recall that even in the 1980s, the fledgling nursing school needed better facilities. My husband Cary and I were both excited about the new nursing school facility and were delighted to fund of one of the simulation labs in it. But as technology improves, things like devices and software must be updated or replaced, including what we currently have in the sim labs. The lab equipment is expensive, and upgrading it is a continual expenditure.
“Technology in nursing is a passion for me,” said Chandler, whose interest in helping AUCON to continue to train top nurses stems from her own experience in the workforce. “As an informatics nurse who spent 15 years in medical software development and content creation, I understand how critical the mastery of technology is for all nurses. When I am a patient, I see how important electronic documentation is and how devices in the healthcare setting must be understood and utilized correctly. For Auburn nursing students to learn to navigate the modern world of patient care, simulation labs have become vital to our nursing program. Having state-of-the-art sim labs is a huge training advantage for our nurses.”
“After receiving my BSN from Auburn and going to work as a registered nurse, I realized that I had been very well trained at Auburn,” she said. “Nurses are an essential part of the healthcare system and the COVID pandemic has highlighted that fact. Our country understands more than ever the need for well-trained nurses.
“The greatest asset of our College of Nursing is the excellent nurses it produces,” she said. “Our nurses consistently show a high level of skill and knowledge. Employers are impressed, and patients are well cared for. Those nurses, however, don’t train themselves. We need an excellent program with excellent professors and instructors and top facilities to train nurses. Part of that training includes understanding the latest and greatest technologies and treatments in healthcare. Our country needs excellent nurse leaders, and I believe our masters and doctoral degree programs will further Auburn’s ability to produce great nursing leaders. Our facilities will help attract nurses for those advanced degree programs.”
"It’s an incredible gift because it will be transformative for the College of Nursing," said Karol Renfroe, assistant clinical professor at AUCON. “Current and future nursing students will benefit immensely from the state-of-the-art facilities.”
“We are truly grateful to Suzanne and Cary Chandler for their support to advance experiential learning,” said Dean Newschwander. “The simulation suite is an excellent resource at AUCON. Prospective students consider many factors when choosing a college of nursing, including the physical facilities. Our facilities for hands-on learning position us well to attract the best students. As we embark on the next decade in the College of Nursing, the deep loyalty of our alumni, our donors, our friends, will help us reach our goals.”
