California State University, Los Angeles on Friday dedicated its first named school, the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing, in honor of the alumna and longtime faculty member.
Patricia A. Chin earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Nursing at Cal State LA and taught at the university for many years, later serving as director and, upon her retirement, professor emerita.
Patricia Chin, who holds a Doctor of Nursing, and her husband Dr. William Chin contributed a generous gift to the School of Nursing. The gift is supporting updates to the Nursing Simulation Lab, hands-on instruction for students, continuing education for clinical faculty and nurses, and established the Chin Family Institute for Nursing.
“It is our hope that this unique collaboration and relationship between the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing and the Chin Family Institute for Nursing, along with the new state-of-the-art simulation lab, will continue and carry on the tradition of excellence, drive change in the health care system and push boundaries far into the future,” Patricia Chin said at the April 20 dedication ceremony.
Cal State LA President William A. Covino stood side-by-side with Patricia and William Chin as he officially announced the naming of the school. A white and gold curtain dropped to reveal a new sign on Salazar Hall: “Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing.”
Photo: The crowd cheers as black and gold streamers shoot from cannons into the sky after the official announcement of the naming of the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing. (Credit: J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA)
Black and gold streamers shot from rooftop cannons into the sunny blue sky above the crowd of faculty, staff, students, alumni and family of Patricia and William Chin gathered in the courtyard of Salazar Hall and Simpson Tower.
“With their generous gift, Pat and William ensure that Cal State LA will continue to shape the future of nursing and contribute to the public good in Los Angeles and beyond,” Covino said.
Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services Dean Ron Vogel served as the emcee of the ceremony. Speakers also included Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing Director Gail Washington and Chin Family Institute for Nursing Executive Director and Professor Emerita Lorie H. Judson.
Nursing students in lab coats led guests on tours of the school’s facilities, including the state-of-the-art simulation lab.
More than 6,800 students have graduated from Cal State LA’s nursing programs, with many assuming leadership positions in the field across Southern California. The nursing master’s degree program has been ranked consistently during the past decade as one of the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
“This gift is especially meaningful because Patricia Chin was both a student and faculty member,” said Cal State LA Vice President for University Advancement Janet S. Dial. “The Chin family’s commitment to Cal State LA is longstanding and will impact our university for years to come.”
Patricia and William Chin hope to continue the excellence of the university’s nursing programs and shape the future of health care in the U.S.
“Our personal goal is to see that what we have done today is a seed that helps create the catalyst to transform health care in this country,” said William Chin, who was a founding partner and executive medical director of medical group HealthCare Partners, LLC. “As we hand the baton off, I look at the vision of Cal State LA: engagement, service, and the public good. We are aligned.”
