Elizabeth Barnhart Award for Nursing Excellence

The Elizabeth Barnhart Award for Nursing Excellence was established by her family to honor the memory of COTC nursing student Elizabeth Barnhart’s commitment to the nursing profession and to offer support to graduates of COTC’s nursing technology program as they begin their careers. A 2015 COTC graduate, Barnhart was just beginning a promising career as an emergency room nurse when she was killed in February 2017.

The Barnhart Award will honor a graduating student who exemplifies the highest ideals of the nursing profession: intelligence, commitment, sacrifice, integrity and a compassionate connection to others. Recipients will receive a certificate and a $300 cash stipend to help defray the cost of equipment and career-related fees, including testing and licensure. It will now be the highest honor a COTC nursing graduate can receive.