Purpose

This fund supports scholarship awards to undergraduate students studying in the College of Nursing who maintain a 3.0 GPA, with preference to those in the accelerated BSN program. If there are no qualified undergraduates to receive the scholarships, then the funds shall support graduate students.

History

This fund was established in 2012 by Brenda Barton-Wheaton and Dr. Richard Wheaton to support scholarship awards to undergraduate students studying in the University of Florida College of Nursing in honor of Jodi Irving.

Jodi earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Florida State University, and a master’s degree in psychiatric/mental health nursing from the University of Maryland. She is a professor emeritus in the UF College of Nursing. Jodi joined UF’s faculty in 1965 and retired in 2011. She continues to teach part-time in the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program.

Jodi serves on the advisory board of Meridian Behavioral Health, as well as a consultant to the Gainesville Opportunity Center, both located in Gainesville. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the American Nurses Association, the Florida Nurses Association and the American Association of Psychiatric Nursing. Jodi is also an honorary UF alumna and a member of the College of Nursing’s Alumni Council.

Jodi has received numerous teaching awards during her tenure, including two UF Teaching Improvement Awards, given at the university level.. Jodi has published articles in the Journal of Professional Nursing, Journal of Nursing Administration, Journal of Public Health and Law Ethics.