NORMAN – University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren today announced the naming of the OU College of Nursing in honor of the late Fran Ziegler and Earl Ziegler, two of the University’s alumni and steadfast supporters who grew up in Seminole County.

“The College of Nursing could have no more appropriate name than one honoring Fran and Earl Ziegler,” Boren said. “The late Fran Ziegler and her husband, Earl Ziegler, have been among the most faithful supporters of the College of Nursing in its entire history. They have always understood the critical role played by outstanding nurses in our health care system,” he said.

“It has been my and Fran’s privilege to support the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing program for the past 20 to 25 years,” Earl Ziegler said. “To see the quality of the bright, young people graduating from the OU nursing program renews our faith and hope for the future.

“It just feels good and correct to know we are helping others,” he said. “It is very much an honor to have the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing be named the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing.”

The Zieglers’ contributions to nursing are exceptional. In 1997, they endowed a Visiting Nurse Scholar Program, which enables the college to bring in experts in such areas as managed care, community nursing, nurse utilization, ethics, health care reform and health politics. Two years later, their support helped establish an endowed position in palliative care and was a foundational gift that helped create OU’s Palliative Care Program, a multidisciplinary education initiative for students, residents and health care professionals to provide advanced training in end-of-life care. They also established an endowment that provides 40 scholarships a year to OU nursing students.

Fran served on the Campaign Council to build the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, and she and her husband provided support for the museum’s construction and endowment.

The Zieglers were donors of the Allan Houser sculpture, “Homeward Bound,” for OU’s Norman campus and the “Dreamcatcher,” a sculpture by Star Liana York, for OU’s Health Sciences Center campus. Both sculptures are indicative of the Zieglers’ love for southwestern art.

The couple also contributed to petroleum engineering scholarships and Sooner Heritage Scholarships on OU’s Norman campus. For their outstanding dedication to the University, both Fran and Earl have been honored with the OU Regents’ Alumni Awards.

Earl, an Endowed OU President’s Associate, also supports the Energy Center and the Alumni Scholars Program.