Drawing from the Well

60 Years of Nursing Excellence at Gardner-Webb

By Jackie Bridges

“When you drink the water, don’t forget who dug the well.”

Dr. Shirley Putnam Toney, Gardner-Webb dean and professor emerita of nursing

Dean and Professor Emerita of Nursing Dr. Shirley Putnam Toney enjoyed a career that spanned more than half a century at Gardner-Webb University. As an early leader of the school’s nursing program, Toney acknowledges that establishing the nursing school was a collaborative effort.

As the Hunt School of Nursing (HSON) celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025–26, Toney honors the school’s forerunners who “dug the well,” for her generation and the next. Of the school’s six leaders, four were Toney’s students.

Bold visionaries like Toney and Grace Lee—the driving forces behind nursing education at GWU—led with intelligence, integrity, resilience, humility, and service.

“Dr. Shirley Putman Toney is a legendary nurse educator not only at GWU but across our state and region,” said Dr. Anna Hamrick, former HSON director and student at Gardner-Webb from 1999 to 2003. “I always admired her confident presence and her unwavering advocacy for her students and nursing program. She showed deep respect for her colleagues and never missed a chance to celebrate their accomplishments.”

Nursing Education Begins at GWU

Lee, the director of the Rutherford Hospital School of Nursing, and Toney worked at the hospital together from 1963–65. The hospital’s nursing programs had become too expensive, so Lee investigated the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, a curriculum developed to reduce repetition and provide additional structured learning experiences in collegiate settings.

Lee already had an affiliation with Gardner-Webb, so she and Toney met frequently with Dr. Eugene Poston, then president of Gardner-Webb, and local hospital administrators to help bring the ADN program to GWU.

In 1965, Gardner-Webb welcomed the first 45 nursing students. The department’s shared space featured modest nursing supplies including a bed, some equipment, a manikin, and a movie projector—all donated by Rutherford Hospital.

In 1970, the Gardner-Webb Nursing School was one of the first two ADN programs in the state to become nationally accredited. When Lee retired in 1978, Toney became the School of Nursing chair and was later named its first dean.

Nursing School Expands Programs

From the 1980s through the 2000s, Toney helped grow the University’s nursing programs to meet the needs of a changing health care landscape. For her profound influence, Toney received the Gardner-Webb Founders Medal in 2024.

One of her lasting contributions is the Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The RN to BSN completion program was funded by a grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Trust, the Davis Trust, and Waggoner Foundation of Statesville, N.C. It was later renamed the Davis Nursing Program, and today it’s offered fully online.

I was first introduced to the School of Nursing when I entered the ADN program out of high school. The community I found within the nursing program and at the University led me to continue my education in the HSON at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Early in my educational journey, I came to appreciate the faculty’s dedication to the personal and professional growth of their students, which led me to continue my educational journey.

Dr. Tracy Arnold, ’02, ’04, ’06 and ’12 
Associated Dean, College of Health Science

Toney also established a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program, which officially launched in 2001. Under her guidance, Gardner-Webb’s nursing programs gained full accreditation.

“We kept up with the things that were going on in the country and were always affiliated with our professional associations,” Toney stated. “I’m delighted and overjoyed at the success of our programs. We are not just measured against local people; we are measured against people all over the country.”

When Toney stepped down, Dr. Rebecca “Susie” Beck-Little became dean. Under her leadership, Gardner-Webb welcomed its first cohort in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in 2010. At that time, the only established DNP program was located at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

In January 2013, the MSN–Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program began. Dr. Sharon Starr was named dean of the nursing school that summer. Starr received her ADN from Gardner-Webb in 1976 and had previously served as a member of the GWU nursing faculty from 2001–04.

Hunt Gift Secures GWU Nursing’s Future

In 2014, Gardner-Webb purchased the former Crawley Memorial Hospital to house the College of Health Sciences. A month later, N.C. Rep. Dr. Jack Hunt and his wife, Ruby, established the HSON to provide a scholarship, program enhancements, renovations of nursing facilities, and educational technology.

Starr coordinated the move, relying on the faculty’s expertise for setting up the simulation labs and offices. “That was such a meaningful experience, because it helped the nursing school in so many different ways, and it was a blessing to meet Jack Hunt and his wife, Ruby, and to know the kind of people they were,” Starr reflected. “I was so proud that the school of nursing would be named after somebody of their stature and who were such kind, generous people.”

The Hunts, of Lattimore, N.C., were community leaders and supporters of higher education. For 22 years, Jack served in the North Carolina General Assembly. In 2012, Hunt was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Gardner-Webb. A member of the GWU Board of Trustees, he was honored in 2020 with the title of trustee emeritus. Jack and Ruby received North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine for their many contributions to the state.

Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Nicole Waters was named HSON dean when Starr retired in 2017. An alumna, Waters developed a relationship with the Hunts and understood the significance of their gift. “Dr. and Mrs. Hunt demonstrated a genuine interest in health care trends and nursing education, often engaging in meaningful discussions on these topics, usually accompanied by a sincere invitation to share a meal at their home,” Waters said. “Their heartfelt commitment to advancing the nursing profession extended beyond Gardner-Webb, reaching the broader community and state, helping countless students fulfill their calling to become nurses and nurse educators.”

HSON Faculty Look to the Future

The faculty developed curricula for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, Doctor of Nursing Practice–Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP), and the Doctor of Nursing Practice–Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (DNP-PMHNP) program. To meet the need for mental health providers, HSON leaders obtained a grant from the Fullerton Foundation to help start the DNP-PMHNP. The first students enrolled in these DNP programs in the fall of 2019.

The School of Nursing has profoundly influenced my academic, professional, and spiritual life. The faculty demonstrated a Christ-centered approach, providing academic support, prayer, mentorship, and personal encouragement. These meaningful experiences inspired me to pursue a faculty position in the School of Nursing later. As a faculty member, I discovered a community that nurtured intellectual curiosity, scholarly engagement, and leadership development. Now, as an administrator, I feel deeply honored to contribute to the legacy of the nursing programs. I take great pride in the rich history, mission and ongoing excellence of the Hunt School of Nursing.

Dr. Nicole Waters, ’06 and ’14
Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

“As a result, more registered nurses and nurse practitioners are entering the workforce, directly contributing to improved health care delivery in their communities,” said Dr. Tracy Arnold, former dean/director of HSON and current associate dean of the College of Health Sciences. “Additionally, we were able to expand our resources to include state-of-the art equipment and lab spaces to simulate realistic work environments in an effort to bridge the gap between classroom instruction and professional practice.”

With funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation to address regional health workforce shortages, donations from GWU supporters, and other grants, the nursing faculty are prepared to lead the HSON into its next century and to prepare the next generation of highly skilled, compassionate nurses.