Paving the Way for Future FIU Nurses

Funding Excellence in Nursing Student Education

A generous gift of $250,000 from two longtime supporters of the college and FIU has established the Jorge M. Pérez and Darlene Boytell-Pérez 50th Anniversary of Nursing Scholarship Endowment.

We invite everyone to make a gift to enhance this important endowment, commemorating this important milestone in the history of our program while creating new opportunities for nursing students who demonstrate outstanding scholastic aptitude and passion for the nursing profession.

Make a gift to our scholarship endowment

Distinguished Alumni Awards

These FIU Nurses were honored at our Jubilee Celebration as esteemed and accomplished graduates who inspire the college and their communities through their dedication to the nursing profession.

  • Beatrice Ambroise, BSN ’03, MSN/Ed, RN, CCRN - Excellence in Clinical Nursing Education
  • Elyse Garcia, BSN ’14, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, CEN, LSSGB - Excellence in Clinical Nursing Practice
  • Frank Guido-Sanz, MSN ’03, Ph.D. ’14, APRN, ANP-BC, AGACNP-BC, CHSE, FAANP - Excellence in Nursing Innovation
  • Elizabeth "Liz" Joseph, MSN ’09, APRN-BC, MPH - Excellence in Global Health
  • Deborah L. Krauser, DNP, MSN ’00 - Excellence in Nursing Administration
  • Audrey P. Miller, BSN ’95, Ph.D., MSN Ed, APRN, PPCNP-BC, CPN, CNE, LNC - Excellence in Academic Nursing Education
  • Susan Marie Perry, BSN ’89, Ph.D., CRNA, FAAN, FAANA, Col, USAF, NC, Retired - Excellence in Public Service
  • Rosa M. Roche, BSN ’86, MSN ’94, Ph.D. ’14, APRN, PPCNP-BC - Excellence in Community Volunteerism
  • Lori Schirle, MSN ’04, Ph.D., CRNA, FAAN - Excellence in Nursing Research

Visit our Awards & Recognition page for a full list of awardees and honorable mentions.

Headshots of all listed award winners

Lifetime Spirit of Caring Award

Cliff Morrison
Clifford (Cliff) L. Morrison, BSN ’74, MS, MSN, RN, ACRN, FAAN

As a BSN graduate of FIU’s first graduating class in 1974, Mr. Clifford Morrison was presented with FIU Nursing's Lifetime Spirit of Caring Award. He was honored for his advocacy and innovative approach to care which is now standard practice across health care settings throughout the world, especially in the treatment and care for persons with HIV/AIDS.

Read about Cliff's lifetime of caring

Jubilee Gala Celebration

On May 4, 2024, we hosted our FIU Nursing 50th Anniversary Jubilee Gala Celebration to honor our Distinguished Alumni Award winners, Legacy Recognitions and the sponsors who made our celebrations possible.

Alumni, friends and family joined together to enjoy a cocktail hour and look back on FIU Nursing's 50 years of excellence and the nurses who made those years a reality.

View a recap of our Jubilee Gala Celebration

Driven by innovation and caring.

50 Years of Health Care Heroes

Before they were shaping the world of tomorrow, our nurses were writing new chapters of their lives in the halls of our campus.

We've compiled hundreds of these stories to showcase our graduates' diversity, determination and boundless success on their professional nursing journey.

Read our alumni stories

Senior Nursing student Chris Colello practices her basic skills on an anatomically lifelike dummy in the Nursing Lab before receiving assignments in actual health care facilities. Photo by Geoff Bass.

50 Years of History

In our five decades of educating supportive and passionate nurses, FIU Nursing has become a cornerstone of the healthcare community in Florida and beyond.

Today, we look back on our humble beginnings as an RN to BSN program with our first graduates in 1974. We take pride in what we have grown into and who we are today: a nursing program with more than 800 students and over 9,000 alumni, all supported through the efforts of our dedicated, highly skilled faculty and leaders.

Look back on our legacy

Our Generous Sponsors

We thank our partners whose contributions make this milestone celebration possible. Their generous support has created valuable engagement opportunities and programming for our diverse, compassionate and talented alumni nursing professionals.

Presenting Sponsor

Baptist Health

Gold Sponsor

HCA Florida Healthcare

Milestone Sponsor

  • Nicklaus Children's Hospital logo
  • Alan and Brigitt Potamkin

Legacy Sponsors

  • Community Health of South Florida logo
  • Brain Center Neurology Care Group logo
  • Riviera Health Resort logo
  • United HomeCare logo