College of Nursing Faculty Member Awarded Outstanding Alumnus Award
Associate Professor Karen Butler, DNP, MSN, RN, received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the College of Nursing Alumni Association at the College’s homecoming brunch on Fri., Oct. 2.
The annual Outstanding Alumni Award is presented to an individual who holds an undergraduate or graduate degree from the UK College of Nursing and who exemplifies a commitment to support the college and the profession of nursing. Butler was nominated by Jessica Wilson, PhD, APRN, assistant professor and RN-BSN coordinator.
Butler’s nomination was supported by Executive Associate Dean and Marion E. McKenna Professor Patricia B. Howard, PhD, RN, FAAN, as well as Professor Ellen Hahn, PhD, RN, FAAN, who were inspired by Butler’s community involvement, participation in professional organizations, contribution to the College of Nursing, and her outstanding worth ethic and more.
“She has a sense of community that results in involvement on many levels, including leadership positions, and a willingness to serve the College and University in whatever capacity she is needed,” said Wilson.
Butler received her bachelor’s in nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s from the University of Kentucky, where she also received the Graduate Faculty Award for Academic Achievement. She also earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice at UK in May 2006 in addition to receiving the inaugural Sebastian-Stanhope Award upon graduation.
“I am honored and humbled to receive the 2015 UK College of Nursing Outstanding Alumnus Award,” said Butler. “My education and experiences at the College have created so many opportunities for me to make a difference in people’s lives at the bedside, in the classroom and in the community. I am grateful for each nurse colleague, patient, family member and student who has crossed my path over the past 30 years; part of this honor belongs to each of them.”
Butler currently works as an associate professor and clinical course coordinator in the undergraduate nursing program and teaches in the DNP program. In 2006, she joined the Tobacco Research Policy Program as a faculty associate. She has won many awards for her work in scholarship and education, including the Louise Zegeer Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2008.
“It is no surprise that such an outstanding faculty member was nominated for the Outstanding Alumnus Award,” said Janie Heath, dean and Warwick Professor of Nursing. “Our alumni are central in the continuing development of nurse leaders, and we are grateful for their contributions to the College.”
Courtney Howard Weekley, clinical nurse specialist at UK HealthCare, receieved the First Decade Award from the College of Nursing Alumni Association. This award recognizes a former undergraduate or graduate student from UK’s College of Nursing who is currently engaged in the profession of nursing and has been in practice for 10 years or less prior to the annual alumni meting, and who has laid the foundation for an exemplary career in nursing.
The College of Nursing would like to thank Assistant Dean of Academic Operations and Assessments Sherry Holmes, MSN, RN, for serving as the president of the Alumni Association for the past two years. Her dedication and leadership has been crucial to the organization’s support of the College and its current students, faculty and staff.
