CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care Renamed to Honor President Emerita Karen Haynes
SAN MARCOS, CA – August 2, 2021 – On July 13, the California State University Board of Trustees voted and approved renaming the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care as the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care, honoring Karen Haynes, President Emerita of CSU San Marcos where the Institute is located. This renaming was planned in conjunction with a generous ($2.6 million) donation to the Institute by Darlene Marcos Shiley in 2019; the CSU stipulates that two years must elapse between a university president’s retirement and any naming designations.
“The Institute arose in 2012 from the initial inspiration of then-CSU Trustee Robert Achtenberg, and the committed perspiration of its founding director, Helen McNeal and her staff. Two other things were needed: resources, generously provided by Mrs. Darlene Shiley and two foundations; and the steady hand and vision of President Haynes,” said current Executive Director, Jennifer Moore Ballentine. “President Haynes really brought us into being.”
The renaming will roll out over several months beginning with a new logo and refreshed branding. With funds from Shiley’s generous gift, the Institute’s website was completely redesigned and updated over the past year: https://csupalliativecare.org/
Karen Haynes was president of CSU San Marcos when the Institute was launched in September 2012, becoming America’s first statewide educational and workforce development initiative dedicated to palliative care. A surprise $1.2 million gift from Shiley highlighted that event, along with a combined $1.2 million from the Archstone Foundation and the California Health Care Foundation.
The Institute grew steadily under Haynes’ leadership and thanks to Shiley’s philanthropy. In March 2015, she gave an additional $1.8 million as part of CSUSM’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which ended last December, and in spring of 2019, an additional $2.6 million over four years focused on curriculum development, infrastructure improvements, marketing and business development, and support of the Institute’s signature Annual National Symposium.
Through its more than 230 educational offerings, the Institute has trained more than 21,000 healthcare professionals. On CSU campuses, it has introduced palliative care to more than 24,000 future healthcare professionals and more than 23,000 community members.
“I am extremely grateful for President Haynes’ exceptional support of this important endeavor,” Shiley said in 2019. “As a professional social worker, she immediately understood the program content and collaboration required to make the Institute a success. I look forward to seeing her name alongside mine and my late husband Donald’s at the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care.”
Shiley is the president of the Shiley Foundation, a philanthropic organization that she established with her late husband to distribute all their estate to charitable purposes after both pass. The San Diego resident supports a wide range of causes, including arts, higher education, community services, and health and scientific research.
Shiley graduated from San Jose State with honors and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from San Diego State in 2008, as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of Portland (Donald’s alma mater) in 2018. She serves on the University of San Diego Board of Trustees and the University of Portland Board of Regents.
About the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care
The CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care leverages the strength of the California State University system to expand access to and awareness of palliative care by educating current and future healthcare professionals. The Institute is charged with positively impacting the critical shortage of nurses, physicians, social workers, and spiritual care providers trained in palliative care. Visit csupalliativecare.org.
