Atlanta’s Mary P. Mann, a 2009 graduate of Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, was awarded the 2011 New Member Pillar Award by the Sigma Theta Tau International, a nursing honor society. She received the award at the society’s 41st Biennial Convention in Grapevine, Texas, which took place Oct. 29-Nov. 3.
The New Member Pillar Award is an international award given to one newly inducted Sigma Theta Tau International member for exemplary volunteer service. There were more than 1,800 nominations for the award.
“I was extremely honored to receive this award,” Mann said. “It is wonderful to know that the profession of nursing can make such an impact. To be recognized for the impact that I have made in such a short time is humbling. I couldn’t have received this award without the support of the dean, faculty and other Pi Gamma members at Georgia Baptist College of Nursing.”
Mann is a registered nurse on the surgical floor at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta and is secretary of the Pi Gamma Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. While attending Mercer, she served as president of the Student Nurses Association. Mann has worked on various community service projects and events that received national awards at the annual Student Nurses Association convention. Upon graduation, the College honored Mann with the Student Nurse of the Year Award, as well as the coveted Heritage Award. Mann became involved in Sigma Theta Tau shortly after graduation. She attended the Sigma Theta Tau Biennial Convention in 2009 as a leadership intern and she currently serves as secretary for the Pi Gamma Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau.
“Nursing is a profession that Mary is committed to and her enthusiasm for nursing is contagious, as well as admirable,” said Dr. Linda A. Streit, dean of the College. “Her clinical proficiency is quickly moving beyond the novice level. She has taken advantage of opportunities to expand her knowledge in critical care and she is a nursing Piedmont Scholar at Piedmont Hospital. Her clinical nursing peers have described her as extremely thorough, compassionate and an unwavering patient advocate.”
About the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International:
The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the learning, knowledge and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Founded in 1922, STTI has more than 125,000 members in 90 countries. Members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others. STTI’s 475 chapters are located at 586 institutions of higher education throughout Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, Sweden, Republic of China-Taiwan, Tanzania, the United States and Wales. More information about STTI can be found online at www.nursingsociety.org.
About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,300 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah and at three regional academic centers across the state. Mercer is affiliated with two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah and the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. The University operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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