Betty L. Forest ’47, ’10 (Hon.)

After graduating from Adelphi in 1947, the late Betty Forest spent 10 years as a practicing nurse at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. While working at Columbia Presbyterian, she decided to pursue a master’s degree in nursing at Teachers College, Columbia University, and then taught in the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Queens College for four years. A pioneer in her pursuit of her PhD in Nursing, she received several scholarships and grants for her studies at Teachers College, Columbia University.

In 1966, Dr. Forest founded and directed the nursing program at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was the state’s first associate degree nursing program at Quinsigamond and allowed students to complete their course of study in just two academic years. The program now has two graduating classes a year, a long waiting list for admissions and a national reputation for excellence. Dr. Forest retired in 1990 and was awarded the title Professor Emerita.

As a student at Adelphi, Dr. Forest was a member of Phi Mu sorority and sang in the Glee Club. She was a member of her church choir for many years, and she was also involved in the Worcester Women’s Club, Worcester Music Guild and Worcester Art Museum and served as a board member of Opera Worcester. In addition, she was actively involved in various nursing associations.

A loyal and generous donor of the University, she created the Betty L. Forest Nursing Scholarship Fund and the Loretta and Harold Forest Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund in memory of her parents. A bequest from Dr. Forest, who passed away in August 2019, included $3.7 million to support an innovation fund and endow a deanship, the Dr. Betty L. Forest Dean of the College of Nursing and Public Health.