Discover Lafayette Dr. Mary B. Neiheisel – Living Legend of Service
Discover Lafayette welcomes a true living legend of service to Acadiana: Dr. Mary B. Neiheisel.
Dr. Neiheisel was the 2017 recipient of the prestigious Lafayette Civic Cup, one of the highest honors for civic service in our community. Her journey in Lafayette began in 1966, when she started teaching at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now UL Lafayette), launching 59 years of impact in education, healthcare, and community leadership.
With quiet determination, Dr. Neiheisel helped build UL Lafayette’s Nurse Practitioner Program, serving as its first coordinator and director and laying the foundation for graduate nursing education across the region.
Beyond academia, her heart for service shines through her long-standing work at Faith House of Acadiana, where she serves as a nurse practitioner and advocate for survivors of domestic violence. Her legacy of compassion is now honored through the Mary B. Neiheisel Patron of Hope Award, created in her name to recognize extraordinary servant leadership in our community.
From South Texas to Lafayette
“I grew up in a very small town in South Texas, about 40 miles from San Antonio, called Stockdale.”
Dr. Neiheisel traces her path into nursing back to her mother’s influence. “My mother always said that she concentrated on me being a nurse when she was pregnant. She said it was implanted. Consequently, she bought me the Cherry Ames nursing books when I was very young. Any medical shows on TV? We watched them. My mother started out to be a nurse, but she wanted to get married. And in those days, they did not allow the nurses to be married. So I think, you know, it was just her wish on me.”
Dr. Neiheisel received her early education in San Antonio, completing her baccalaureate degree at the University of the Incarnate Word before moving to Austin and later earning her master’s degree at the University of Colorado in 1965. She shares how she met her husband, Richard Neiheisel, then a USL history professor, and how that connection ultimately brought her to Lafayette in 1966.
USL in the 1960s
Reflecting on her early years on campus, Dr. Neiheisel recalls the realities of nursing education at the time: “We were actually in a condemned building.” She describes a small campus, modest facilities, and close-knit classes, noting how both the university and its nursing program have evolved into institutions that are now nationally known.
Answering the Call to Teach
Dr. Neiheisel explains what drew her to nursing education: “I felt like there was a real need for more faculty, more teachers in nursing, to help students learn the things that would be best in caring for their patients.”
She speaks candidly about advocating for nursing education in what was largely a male-dominated academic environment, addressing disparities in pay and recognition while helping shape curriculum, meet state board standards, and recruit new faculty.
“In 1984, Acadian Ambulance came to our college to ask about starting an EMT program in our college. And I had worked some in emergency room. Not that much, but I had actually taught some emergency room classes. So I was asked to work with Acadian Ambulance on that program. That was a great experience, Acadian Ambulance is really the business model. They knew what they wanted, and we put this together and then we needed a coordinator for that program in our college. Since I had been working with it, the dean asked me if I would be the coordinator of that program. And I said, no, I’m waiting for the graduate program. And she kind of looked at me like, you’re dreaming. But we continued to talk about our graduate program, and probably it was 1988, we actually were given permission to open our nursing graduate program, and I was offered the position of the first graduate nursing coordinator, which that was really exciting.
Building the Nurse Practitioner Program
Inspired by Dr. Loretta Ford, whom she calls “the mother of nurse practitioners,” Dr. Neiheisel carried a long-held vision for advanced nursing practice.
Dr. Neiheisel says, “The year that I graduated with my master’s degree, Dr. Loretta Ford, who is considered the mother of nurse practitioners, the superwoman of nurse practitioners, actually came to our class and told us about the nurse practitioner program that she was starting, and she was a pediatric nurse. So it would be a pediatric nurse practitioner program. I was fascinated by the description that she gave for nurse practitioners and the independence that they would have and the way that they would be able to help patients, help people, help the population, not only in illness but in health, to maintain their health, to prevent disease. And I continued to kind of follow Dr. Ford and read what she was doing and seeing these programs opened. And she did start her program at the University of Colorado. She had six nurse practitioner students that year. There was, again, a lot of opposition to another role for nurses, but there was also a lot of support. She went on a national news. She went all over the country talking about the nurse practitioner program. She went from the University of Colorado to New York, started nurse practitioner programs there. And by that time they were really spreading across the country. In 1988, we finally were able to start our graduate nursing program at USL.”
She describes the early challenges, resistance from some physicians, and the persistence required to establish the program. Dr. Neiheisel went back to school herself to become a family nurse practitioner, helping launch the nurse practitioner track and graduating the program’s first students in 1995. “It wasn’t long before the physicians were employing the nurse practitioners, and now they’re employed in clinics and hospitals.”
High Standards and Lasting Impact
Addressing her reputation as a demanding instructor, Dr. Neiheisel reflects: “I guess I did have high expectations knowing that one day I was going to need their assistance, perhaps played a role in it.”
She speaks with pride about her students’ success and the responsibility of preparing nurses to be confident, capable, and compassionate professionals.
The Evolution of Nursing
From glass medicine cups and manual dosage calculations to electronic health records and patient portals, Dr. Neiheisel walks through six decades of change: “Technology has changed things in many ways… but we have lost some of that more personal touch.” She noted that nurse practitioners often help bridge that gap by spending more time with patients and answering their questions.
Retirement — and Staying Connected
Though she recently retired, Dr. Neiheisel emphasizes that she remains deeply connected to both nursing and the university: “It’s not like a total separation. I’m still very proud of our university and my years there.”
She continues part-time work at Faith House, attends concerts on campus, and remains engaged with the humanities and music communities.
A Life of Civic and Cultural Service
Dr. Neiheisel reflects on decades of civic involvement, including United Way of Acadiana, Rotary Club of Lafayette, the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Zonta International, Foundation for Wellness, and the Lafayette Public Library Foundation. Of all her commitments, she says simply: “Faith House is my love.”
She shares candidly about learning the realities of domestic violence, supporting women and children, fundraising for shelter operations, and recognizing community leaders through the Mary B. Neiheisel Patron of Hope Award.
Teaching, Challenges, and Why She Stayed
On the most rewarding part of teaching: “Meeting students is a blessing, watching them learn. That ‘aha’ moment is just so rewarding.”
On the greatest challenge of teaching: “Keeping up. It seems like it’s changing every five minutes.”
And on why she chose to build her life in Lafayette: “The people. The atmosphere, the culture. I feel like I have several Louisiana families.”
Life Beyond the Classroom
In closing, Dr. Neiheisel shared her love of music, reading, travel, and the arts, along with a lighthearted story about an unsuccessful tomato garden that led her to grow zinnias instead. She speaks fondly of trips to Colorado, visiting her grandchild in Boston, and appreciating both travel and home.