Edwardson receives Alumni Service Award

The University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) named Dean Emeritus Sandra Edwardson, PhD, FAAN, a recipient of the Alumni Service Award.

The award recognizes the service of a volunteer who has had a major impact on the University, its schools, colleges, departments, or faculty, or to the UMAA.

Edwardson joined the School of Nursing faculty in 1979 and served as dean of the School of Nursing from 1991 to 2004. After 34 years at the University of Minnesota, she retired but continued to assist in the school’s strategic initiatives. She participated in an oral history project and joined the Nursing Alumni Society Heritage Committee to preserve and share the history of the School of Nursing.

During her 12 years on the Heritage Committee, she has contributed to the creation of videos, exhibits, online articles, and a catalogued archive of documents, photographs and other historical artifacts. The Heritage Committee are volunteers who manage and maintain the History Center for the Future of Nursing, which was established in 1981 to house a collection representing the history and historical changes of the school.

Edwardson earned a PhD in hospital and healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in maternal-child nursing from the University of Washington, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from St. Olaf College.

She was presented the award at the UMAA’s Alumni Awards Affair during Homecoming Week in October.