Alumna Seeds Nurse Anesthesia Program With Lead Gift

Early in Eileen Collins’ tenure as dean of UIC’s College of Nursing, she explored ideas for collaboration with the University of Illinois Hospital.

Its leadership expressed an urgent need for certified registered nurse anesthetists, or highly trained nurses who administer anesthesia. Feasibility studies were completed and the idea gathered momentum. When the idea reached Dean Collins’ external advisory board, it piqued the interest of Christine Schwartz, an alumna and long-time advocate for and supporter of the College of Nursing.

Schwartz’s interest and input shaped the project further, through architectural drawings, budgets and costs until she committed a transformational $10 million to make it real. Her donation, the largest gift in the College of Nursing’s history, will establish the Nurse Anesthesia Program at UIC. The program will begin the accreditation process in June.

“One person taking action makes a difference, and I am proud to be the lead donor on major nursing projects in hopes others will join,” said Schwartz. “We are making nursing students’ dreams come true, allowing for recruitment of stellar faculty, building pride and creating momentum, all to keep the College of Nursing among the top in the nation.”

“UIC’s long-standing mission calls on us to provide the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research, and clinical excellence,” said UIC Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda. “Chris Schwartz’s generous gift is accelerating this mission. Her support is allowing us to launch a state-of-the-art program that will position the College of Nursing squarely at the forefront of training, discovery, and innovation. Chris brings both generosity and insight regarding how UIC, especially the College of Nursing, can address pressing barriers to care across Illinois and nationally.”

Excellence in clinical practice starts in simulation labs. Therefore, this gift will fund the buildout of simulation labs and student space on the college’s second floor that will train future nurse anesthetists. In these labs, students can interact in safe, simulated clinical environments and learn without causing harm.

“Chris Schwartz has changed the game for the College of Nursing so many times, and seeding our Nurse Anesthetist Program is no exception,” said Dean Collins. “Her backing allows us to define how nurses can lead, to create the interdisciplinary education opportunities to get them there and to fuel the College of Nursing’s mission to transform healthcare.”

UIC’s Nurse Anesthetist Program will be a lifeline for nursing students and communities across Illinois. The demand for skilled anesthesia providers is pressing in both rural Illinois and Chicago, with a projected job growth of 18% in the next decade. And, among Illinois’ 102 counties, 31 lack registered anesthesia providers. Schwartz’s gift will allow UIC Nursing to bridge this gap, bringing critical anesthesia professionals to the communities that need them most. It also directly feeds a tenet of UIC’s mission: to serve Illinois as the principal educator of health science professionals and as a major healthcare provider to underserved communities.

“Demand for rural health providers has been a crisis for almost two decades, as hospitals close because they can’t attract or afford certain providers to the area,” said Dr. Susan Krawczyk, the newly appointed director of the Nurse Anesthetist Program. “If a patient needs surgery, and there is no anesthetist available, they must wait longer and travel farther for care. Chris’s gift is going to allow us to train highly qualified nurse anesthesia professionals who will be able to fix that.”

This isn’t the first time Chris Schwartz has changed the face of the College of Nursing. She has given generously and intentionally over two decades, creating the Schwartz Experiential Learning and Simulation Lab in the nursing building’s lower level and renovating its lobby. In each project, she demonstrated her tireless advocacy for students and strong belief in the benefit of dedicated spaces for them.

“Students carry a lot of stress and need to engage, relax and prepare in a calming environment. We are always thinking of them and their well-being, and I want that reflected in the projects we tackle,” said Schwartz.

Dr. Krawczyk adds, “We need a safe space for students to connect, and to have a leader like Chris who puts student wellness at the forefront is amazing.”

Upon the project’s completion, UIC will honor Chris Schwartz by naming the second floor in her honor. It will add to her towering legacy of compassion for students, tremendous generosity and dedication to uplifting nurses as leaders. And it will amplify her call for others to act on the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of nursing students and Illinois communities.

“Nurses lead, that’s what we do,” said Schwartz. “The Nurse Anesthesia Program is a dream; it’s the win-win we look for. I hope others will join in supporting it.”