The president, administration, faculty and numerous nursing students of the University of Louisiana at Monroe gathered Thursday, Aug. 20, in the Kitty DeGree School of Nursing Auditorium for the announcement of a special memorial scholarship honoring a longtime figure in the university’s nursing program.
The Dr. Emily S. Doughty Memorial Scholarship in Nursing was presented in memory of Dr. Doughty, who passed away Feb. 21, 2026. Memorial donations following her death were used to establish a trust that will fund the scholarship program through the ULM Foundation.
Dr. Doughty was born and raised in Jena, the daughter of Blanchard Carl and Mildred Jewel Smith. She spent her adult life in the Monroe/ West Monroe area, where she served in various nursing instructor and administrator roles, primarily at ULM.
Dr. Doughty earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Northeast Louisiana University in 1976 and went on to earn a master’s degree in nursing, with a focus on nursing education, from Texas Woman’s University in 1979. Fresh off earning her RN degree, Dr. Doughty began her nursing career working with the home health agency at LaSalle General Hospital in Jena before later moving into nursing education.
She joined the nursing faculty at Northeast Louisiana University in 1979 and served as a nursing instructor until 1985. She then taught nursing at Grambling State University before returning to Northeast Louisiana University in 1992.
Dr. Doughty continued as a nursing instructor through the university’s transition to become the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing when the university founded its Lambda Mu chapter in 1990.
In 2003, Dr. Doughty moved into administration within the ULM nursing school, accepting a position as course coordinator before later being named the school’s associate director. She earned her doctorate in education, with a focus on higher education, from Nova Southeastern University in 2010.
In May 2012, Dr. Doughty became director of the ULM School of Nursing and oversaw its transition to become the Kitty DeGree School of Nursing. She retired in 2017 and spent her later years traveling and spending time with her family, particularly her grandchildren.
ULM Health Sciences Dean Wendy Bailes spoke during the announcement about Dr. Doughty’s influence on the university and its nursing program. Bailes made a point of telling the Doughty family that Dr. Doughty’s family was always the most important thing in her life, noting that she frequently spoke about them, including her family in Jena.
ULM President Dr. Carrie L. Castille also addressed the gathering, thanking the Doughty family for establishing the scholarship and praising the impact it will have in providing financial support to deserving nursing students in the years ahead.
Dr. Doughty’s husband, Phillip “Tim” Doughty Sr., and son, Phillip “Tim” Doughty Jr., attended Thursday’s announcement, along with several members of the Doughty family from the Jena area, including Dr. Doughty’s brother, Carl Smith.
Tim Doughty Jr. spoke on behalf of the family, expressing gratitude for his mother’s life and the impact she had on so many people at ULM.
“This scholarship will help incentivize people by helping them afford the cost of going to school,” Doughty said. “These nursing programs spread this clinical experience around. My mom actually did start in home health when she was a nurse, back before she started teaching.”
