Every spring, Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) alumni from far and wide gather to reconnect, honor milestone reunions, and recognize award winners. This year, the event was able to occur in person, a welcome change from the last few years of virtual get-togethers. Alumni enjoyed the opportunity to sit across the table from one another and catch up while celebrating our 2022 award winners.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Betty Rosendahl Wagner
Wagner received her certificate in nursing in 1948 from the Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing. She worked in various hospitals and in eye surgery, retiring in her 80s. In 2018, Wagner established an endowed scholarship for a nursing student, believing it was important to help future nurses.
“I am very humbled and grateful to receive this award,” says Wagner. “I spent all my life doing nursing, and surgery was my first love. I always enjoyed working with people, and to this day, that’s what I miss most in retirement — the people.”
Service Award
Jennifer Jacobs Banaszak, B.S.N. ’99
Banaszak received her B.S.N. from MCN in 1999 and her M.S.N. in 2003 from the University of Phoenix. While she was at MCN, she was the class president and was among the first to graduate from MCN at Illinois State University in December 1999. Banaszak has worked as a nurse, adjunct instructor, and case manager for worker’s compensation, and has volunteered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am extremely honored to have received the Service Award for 2022,” says Banaszak. “If my work and volunteering made people’s lives a little better and helped to instill hope during this pandemic, then I feel I have accomplished a great feat.”
Early Career Achievement Award
Catherine Bailey, B.S.N. ’16
Bailey began her nursing career as an LPN. She then completed her ADN at Heartland Community College in 2010. She later graduated from MCN’s online RN-B.S.N. program in 2016. As an RN on an inpatient oncology unit, Bailey discovered a passion in caring for cancer patients, and later transitioned to become an oncology nurse navigator.
“I am grateful and humbled to receive this award from my alma mater,” Bailey says. “MCN was an integral part of my development as a nurse, and I attribute much of my success to the education and guidance that I received during my time in the RN-B.S.N. program.”
Spirit of Nursing Awards
Carol Hany Carter, B.S.N. ’85
Carter graduated with MCN’s first B.S.N. cohort in 1985. In 2019, she received a School Nurse Professional Educator Certification from MCN and is enrolled in MCN’s Nursing Leadership and Management program. She works as a certified school nurse and is engaged in several leadership activities.
“I consider myself fortunate to have been affiliated with so many wonderful nurse role models,” says Carter. “I plan to do all I can to carry out the spirit of Nursing in my community and beyond.”
Mary Lou Kauffman ’81
Kauffman received her nursing certificate from Mennonite School of Nursing in 1981. She has worked for 20 years as a lead RN and clinical assistant. In June 2021, Kauffman was nominated for “Best Nurses in Atlanta” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper.
Kaufmann’s summer vacations have been the same for the past 40 years—she travels from Georgia to Illinois to serve as the campus nurse for the Illinois Association of Junior High Student Council Camp, where she is known as “Mama Louie.” Kauffman’s hospitality gifts and servant heart are beyond measure.
Congratulations to all our award winners! For more MCN news, visit Nursing.IllinoisState.edu.
