Family donation establishes the Dr. Emily S. Doughty Memorial Scholarship in Nursing

Published September 21, 2026

A group of people stand with a large check.

CAPTION:听Pictured L-R: Dr. Wendy Bailes, Dean of the College of Health Sciences; Tim Doughty, Jr., son of Dr. Emily Doughty; Tim Doughty, Sr., husband of Dr. Emily Doughty; Dr. Carrie L. Castille, ULM President;听Dr. Sandy Roncal, Director听of the Kitty听DeGree听School of Nursing听

MONROE, La.听鈥撎齌he Family and friends of Dr. Emily S. Doughty听established听an endowed scholarship in her name with a gift of $25,000. The Dr. Emily S. Doughty Memorial Scholarship in Nursing will be awarded annually to students听in听ULM鈥檚 Kitty听DeGree听School of Nursing who meet the selection criteria.听The scholarship was announced听during听a check presentation ceremony at ULM on August 20, 2026.听听

Dr. Emily S. Doughty听was a native of Jena, La., and听earned her B.S. in Nursing from ULM (then Northeast Louisiana University) in 1976听and joined the nursing faculty at ULM in 1979. She also spent time teaching at Grambling State University. She听became an administrator in the School of Nursing in 2003, beginning as a course coordinator and working up to associate director and finally Director of the School of Nursing in 2012. She earned her Ed.D. in 2010 and eventually听presided听over the school鈥檚听name change to the Kitty听DeGree听School of Nursing. She retired from ULM in 2017听and passed away in February 2026.听

Family and friends of听Dr.听Doughty gathered in the auditorium听in听Kitty听DeGree听Hall to commemorate her impact听on听the Kitty听DeGree听School of Nursing and听on听the nursing profession across Northeast Louisiana.听听

鈥淗er tenure here lasted 38 years, but her impact spans generations of nurses and healthcare leaders,听beyond her hometown of Jena听to here in Monroe.听Thank you to the Doughty family for reminding us that compassionate leadership is integral to our university mission,鈥� said ULM President Dr. Carrie L. Castille.听听

The听Dr.听Emily S. Doughty Memorial Scholarship in Nursing will be awarded annually in two installments to eligible students in the Kitty听DeGree听School of Nursing who apply and meet听the听minimum听requirements, including completion of Semester One听and听maintaining听a 3.0 GPA.听Preference will be given to students from LaSalle and Ouachita Parishes.听听

Dr. Wendy Bailes, Dean of the ULM College of Health听Sciences听and former Director of the Kitty听DeGree听School of Nursing shared personal memories of听Dr.听Doughty and spoke about keeping her memory alive in the school and carrying on the example听that she set.听听

鈥淲e want students to realize just who she is, and we will carry that charge forward,鈥� said听Dr.听Bailes.听鈥淲hen they get this scholarship, we want them to know they have a standard to set.鈥澨�听