UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence has officially been renamed as the Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence.

The name of the center is in memory of both Ross and Carol Nese's mothers, a commitment that aligns with the center's dedication to not only to older adults but also to their families who support their health and well-being.

“After hearing about the Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence and their excellent reputation in the geriatric community, my wife and I began donating to the college anonymously. But, given the pandemic and nursing shortage, we knew we had to dig further into the root cause by recruiting more exceptional nurses and alleviating their debt,” said Ross Nese. “Carol and I believe in the work that will be achieved through this partnership, and that it will create a lot of good. We have taken our time in putting all the right elements into this endeavor, and now it is time to help the people that are really in need, which are the geriatric population.”

The generous support provided by the Nese’s will help support student knowledge, interest, and engagement in geriatric nursing and gerontology, improving the quality of care and life of older adults while implementing best practice approaches supporting the older adult’s preferences. It will also help the center further advance the science of aging and the unique aspects related to older adulthood, including support for post-doctoral fellows, more research, and innovations.

"We have been fortunate to have the Nese’s support for several years before the renaming of the center," said Donna Fick, Elouise Ross Eberly Professor and director of the center. "We knew of their close relationship with and love of Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich. Having the center named in honor of these two special women who meant so much to their family and community, is one of the highest honors for our center’s team and myself as the center director. We take this naming as a privilege and a responsibility to live up to their names and work every day to improve the care of older adults."

The center’s mission aims to identify and eliminate racism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, sexism, and other forms of bias and discrimination that impact healthcare access, quality and outcomes for older adults and their care partners. By working across the center’s strategic pillars of education, research, translation and outreach/partnerships to identify and eliminate health disparities and discrimination.

“We need more nurse leaders to transform the lives and health of older adults around the world, and the support that has been provided to our center will help us pursue our college's mission more fully,” said Janice Whitaker, administrator and community liaison for the center. “This support will enable us to develop more specialized clinicians, scientists, and nurse executives to serve the increasing population of older adults in a variety of academic, healthcare, and other settings.”

About the Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence

Established in 2007, the CGNE was a thoughtful response to the national nursing faculty shortage — one targeted to prepare faculty members who have broad expertise in the care of our country’s rapidly growing population of older adults and are committed to teaching the next generation of nurses, especially in underserved rural areas. Visit the website to learn more about the Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence.