Awards

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2006

About Jean Elizabeth Johnson Schaefer

Jean Johnson Schaefer was a 1950 graduate of the Indiana University School of Nursing. A native of Decatur, Indiana, Schaefer lived in various parts of the United States, including California, Michigan, Florida and Louisiana, where she died in August 2004.

Upon her death, she gave an estate gift over $2 million to the School of Nursing. It was one of the largest gift the School has ever received. A significant portion of the gift was used for the renovation of the School’s Learning Resource Center. In addition, the gift enabled the School to create student scholarships in Schaefer’s name and establish two endowed lectureships honoring retiring faculty members’ many years of loyalty and service to the IU School of Nursing. The gift also was used to create historic displays, beginning with the 1950s, to capture the rich heritage of the School of Nursing and its many traditions.