MORGANTOWN — The West Virginia University School of Nursing is expanding international experiences and opportunities for students thanks to a couple’s $50,000 gift.
The gift from Drs. Susan and Neal Newfield establishes the Murdoch Newfield International Community Fund, an endowment that provides financial support for global education programs within the school.
“By gaining a better understanding of diverse populations and perspectives, nursing students who participate in global education programs can become more well-rounded, compassionate, and culturally competent healthcare providers,” Dr. Tara Hulsey, WVU School of Nursing Dean and E. Jane Martin Endowed Professor, said. “I am incredibly grateful for the legacy of learning that the Newfields have created for our students.”
Susan is an associate professor emerita at the WVU School of Nursing, while Neal is an adjunct instructor of psychology and an associate professor emeritus with the School of Social Work at the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. Together, they have collaborated on a study abroad trip for WVU students to visit Vietnam and Cambodia for the past 18 years.
“One of the things we noticed over the years is how much having a month-long experience in another country working with and getting to know people on a personal level really made a difference in our WVU students’ lives,” Susan said. “A lot of them really changed the course of their career paths, and they came back to us years later saying, ‘This was a significant impact on my life.'”
The Newfields met on the Navajo Nation reservation, where they both worked. Susan is a native of New Mexico, which Neal also considers home. The cultural richness and diversity of the state played a major role in both of their lives and fueled their interest in travel.
Susan attended the University of New Mexico, where she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing, and went into community health nursing after graduation.
Neal was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and received his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Florida. He attended graduate school at the University of Arizona and Eastern New Mexico University before deciding that social work was his real interest.
After working on the reservation, Susan and Neal furthered their education by earning master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and doctoral degrees in marriage and family therapy from Texas Tech University. Their mutual degrees have enabled them to work together in some capacity throughout their careers, including the study abroad trip at WVU.
The couple also established an endowment in Vietnam in collaboration with the Pacific Links Foundation — a United States-based nonprofit organization that works in Vietnam — to support the education of girls and women in order to prevent trafficking and entry into high-risk careers.
The couple decided to make a gift to the University to share their passions with others, offer students more growth experiences, and highlight the value of people regardless of the circumstances.
“Bill Clinton came to WVU several years ago to speak at graduation,” Neal said. “One of the things he said is ‘We know that intelligence is equally distributed in populations, but opportunity is not.’ The endowment here and the endowment in Vietnam are intended to really give people the opportunity that they might not have.”
The couple resides in Morgantown, where they both have practices outside of their work for the University. They have a daughter who went to WVU for nursing and other family members that have become part of their lives through the connections they have made. Other than work, the couple also houses international students, usually from Vietnam, and supports them in the community.
The couple’s gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.
