Ryden, who helped create the school’s graduate program in gerontology, passes

Professor Emerita Muriel Ryden, PhD, RN, a trusted and respected nursing leader whose work led to the creation of the school’s graduate program in gerontology, passed away on April 11. Ryden, along with her friend and fellow professor emerita Mariah Snyder, was instrumental in the creation of the School of Nursing’s graduate program in gerontology. “Muriel was one of the most kind and gentle people I’ve known,” says Snyder. “She would want students and alumni to be very proud to be nurses.” In 2002, the school established the M and M Fellowship in Gerontological Nursing to honor Ryden and Snyder’s vast contributions to the fields of nursing and gerontology. Excellence comes full circle as eight talented M and M Gerontological Nursing Fellows have been named, including Erica Schorr, PhD, BSBA, RN, FAHA, who currently leads the school’s Adult and Gerontological Health Cooperative. Ryden, a recipient of the University of Minnesota Horace T. Morse Award and one of the School’s 100 Distinguished Alumni, made an indelible mark on nursing education and research. The School of Nursing community remains forever grateful.