Carole Cato, a longtime donor and supporter of the College of Nursing, grew up on a family tobacco farm in rural southern Virginia where health and educational opportunities for women were scarce and often out of reach because of cost.

That experience sparked her passion for women’s advocacy and supporting the College of Nursing was a natural fit. She joined the college’s Partnership Board and was impressed by the faculty’s dedication to improving the health of people across the state and the world.

Cato funded a fellowship to support Ph.D. students interested in teaching. This fellowship is helping to increase the number of nursing faculty, with the further goal of increasing the college’s capacity to educate more nurses who are critically needed to meet South Carolina’s growing health care needs. Additionally, she donated her entire estate to the college to ensure that it can expand its women’s health research and policy initiatives.

Cato says she is excited by the momentum at the college: cuting-edge programs in telehealth mental health services, a state-of-the-art simulation lab, perfect first-time passage rates on the nursing board exams, and a successful advocacy campaign that broadened the scope of practice for nurse practitioners in South Carolina, to name a few.

"I see miraculous things happening at the University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing all the time, "  Carole Cato.

For more information on how you can support the College of Nursing, contact Monica Cromer, Senior Director of Development.