During a private ceremony Friday, Doug Ivester surprised his wife by revealing the University of Georgia School of Nursing will be named in her honor as the Victoria Kay Ivester School of Nursing. The naming recognizes gifts from Doug Ivester and the Ivester Foundation that will create a $20.5 million endowment to benefit the school.
Longtime benefactors of the university, the Ivesters, who make their home in Gainesville, have funded scholarships, named buildings and sponsored leadership initiatives across campus. Their support of UGA includes a five-million-dollar gift to help fund and create the M. Douglas and V. Kay Ivester Institute for Business Analytics and Insights in the Terry College of Business.
Friday’s gathering was presented as an update on the university’s School of Medicine, which the Ivesters previously supported. The program then shifted to the surprise announcement of the naming.
The newly named Victoria Kay Ivester School of Nursing reflects the Ivesters’ longstanding commitment to the University of Georgia and their broad impact on communities across the state, according to a UGA news release.