Contributor- Aissatou (Aysha) Gueye, PhD Student
William F Connell School of Nursing, Boston College

On March 22, 2026, the nursing discipline lost one of its most thoughtful architects, mentors, and intellectual stewards: Dr. Jacqueline Fawcett.

Those who had the privilege of corresponding with her may remember something small but meaningful. At the end of many of her emails, she would close with a single word: Onward! At first glance, it seemed like a simple sign-off. Over time, however, that word revealed something deeper. It reflected a philosophy that captured how she lived, mentored, and helped shape the discipline of nursing.

A Life Devoted to the Advancement of Nursing Knowledge

Jacqueline Fawcett, born March 18, 1941, devoted her career to strengthening the intellectual foundations of nursing (Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2013). With a BS in Nursing from Boston University and Master of Arts (MA) and PhD degrees from New York University, she educated generations of nurses at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels and served for decades as a leader and chair at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Internationally recognized for her meta-theoretical contributions, she became one of the strongest voices advocating for clarity about the discipline’s knowledge base (Fawcett, 2005; Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2013). She also coined and championed the concept of Nursology, defined as the knowledge of phenomena central to nursing (Fawcett, J., 2023). Through this work, she emphasized the importance of developing and applying discipline-specific knowledge to promote global well-being.

Through numerous publications, Dr. Fawcett helped shape how nurses think about theory, knowledge, and the purpose of the discipline itself. Yet beyond her scholarly achievements, those who knew her quickly recognized that her influence was also deeply human.

A Personal Encounter: Learning From Dr. Fawcett

In 2023, I had the privilege, along with other Boston College DNP students, of interviewing Dr. Fawcett. What began as an academic assignment quickly became something far more meaningful. The conversation felt less like an interview and more like a moment of mentorship. She spoke with clarity, humility, and generosity about leadership, scholarship, and the responsibility of advancing the nursing discipline. The reflections she shared during that conversation were not merely responses to our questions. They were gems of wisdom, insights about leadership, learning, and intellectual responsibility that continue to resonate with us today. This tribute reflects some of the wisdom she shared with us during that exchange.

The Values That Guided Her Leadership

Dr. Fawcett described five core values that guided her work and leadership.

The first was listening. She believed deeply that leadership begins with a listening ear. Rather than telling people what to do, she preferred to guide them and create space for others to think, speak, and grow.

Her second value was equality. She intentionally referred to her students as learners and treated them as intellectual partners. She ensured that her name did not appear on her students’ dissertations because she believed their scholarship should stand on its own.

Relationships formed the third pillar of her philosophy. Mentorship, for her, was not simply supervision but a genuine human connection built on trust and respect.

Her fourth value was effective communication. For Dr. Fawcett, communication meant not only expressing ideas clearly but also ensuring that others were heard.

Finally, she believed deeply in advocacy. As a leader, she used her position to amplify the voices of those who might otherwise go unheard, particularly learners and early scholars.

• Listening.
• Equality.
• Relationships.
• Communication.
• Advocacy.

These were not abstract ideals. They were commitments she lived by.

Leadership as Dialogue

Dr. Fawcett believed that shared values within a team emerge through dialogue. During her years in academic leadership, she prioritized open communication, negotiation, and compromise among colleagues and learners. Her guiding goal remained clear: to help learners truly learn.

When conflicts arose, she encouraged teams to pause and listen carefully to one another’s perspectives before seeking consensus. This approach preserved respect, civility, and collective purpose within academic communities. For Dr. Fawcett, leadership was not about authority. It was about creating the conditions in which others could grow.

Finding One’s Voice

Another theme she emphasized during our interview was the importance of self-awareness. Dr. Fawcett spoke about regularly reflecting on her thoughts and emotions and learning to listen to her inner voice. Over time, she came to understand that leadership requires not only intellectual clarity but also emotional intelligence and openness to diverse perspectives. She believed that discovering one’s voice is an ongoing process that requires reflection, humility, and courage.

Leadership, in her view, meant more than advocating for others. It meant standing alongside them as an ally and accomplice, sharing responsibility for advancing learning, equity, and meaningful change.

The Meaning of “Onward”

When Dr. Fawcett ended her messages with the word Onward, she was not simply closing an email. She was expressing a philosophy.

Onward means continuing forward.
It means persevering through challenges.
It means believing in the future of the discipline.

In many ways, that single word captured her life’s work. She spent decades helping nursing move onward by clarifying its knowledge, strengthening its theories, mentoring scholars, and nurturing the voices that will shape the future.

Onward!

As you watch the interview below, you will hear Dr. Fawcett in her own voice. She was thoughtful, reflective, and deeply committed to the future of nursing. The insights she shared with us that day remain a gift to all who care about the discipline and its learners.

Her scholarship shaped nursing knowledge.
Her mentorship shaped generations of scholars.
Her values shaped how many of us think about leadership, listening, and advocacy.

Perhaps her most enduring message was contained in that single word she so often used to close her emails.

Onward!

Not as a farewell, but as a call.
A call to think more deeply about nursing knowledge.
A call to listen more carefully to learners and patients.
A call to move the discipline forward with courage, humility, and intellectual rigor.

Dr. Jacqueline Fawcett may no longer be with us, but the path she helped illuminate remains before us.
In the spirit of her life’s work, and in gratitude for the wisdom she shared with us:

Onward!

References

Fawcett, J. (2023a, January 17). Evolution of One Version of Our Disciplinary Metaparadigm. nursology.net. https://nursology.net/2023/01/17/evolution-of-one-version-of-our-disciplinary-metaparadigm/

Fawcett, J. (2005). Contemporary nursing knowledge: Analysis and evaluation of nursing models and theories (2nd ed.) Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis. .

Fawcett, J., & DeSanto-Madeya, S. (2013). Contemporary Nursing Knowledge: Analysis and Evaluation of Nursing Models and Theories. F. A. Davis Company.

About Aissatou (Aysha) Gueye DNP, MSN, APN-BC,

Aysha is an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Immigrant/Refugee Health NP, Preceptor, and PhD student at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing. Her clinical and research interests focus on effective healthcare communication for NPs, reawakening nursing theory in NP Practice, and immigrant diabetes health. Aysha served as Director of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (MCNP) and is an RCC facilitator through the Academy of Communication in Healthcare. She believes nursing theory is not an academic exercise—but the living language of care.