USG Board of Regents honors nursing alumna Debbie Layman

The University System of Georgia Foundation presented Deborrah H. “Debbie” Layman with the prestigious Regents’ Hall of Fame Alumni and Distinguished Friends award at the 21st Annual Board of Regents’ Scholarship and Awards Gala on Saturday, Aug. 23, in recognition of her arduous work, dedication and outstanding contributions to Augusta University and students within the USG. One of her most significant impacts is the annual Costa Layman Health Fair, now in its 20th year.

“A distinguished alumna of our College of Nursing, Debbie has shown unwavering support to AU for many years through community service projects, foundation leadership and personal philanthropy,” said AU President Russell T. Keen. “Debbie has a heart for our students and a desire to help them thrive, and she cares deeply about the well-being of Augusta University and the communities we serve.”

Debbie Layman was born in Americus, Georgia, and grew up in Athens, where she graduated in 1978 from the Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing in Athens, now part of the AU College of Nursing. Layman and her husband, Barry, who is from North Augusta, met during graduate nursing classes in Augusta. She then served as an intensive care nurse for 15 years and operated a wholesale plant nursery with Barry for decades. The family’s nursery is where the family hosted the College of Nursing’s first Layman health fair in 2005.

“I am incredibly honored to be chosen, but really, there are so many people involved who deserve credit for the success of the health fair,” Layman said.

That includes Layman’s husband, children and five grandchildren.

“For me, one of the nicest takeaways is what it models for our grandchildren, what it means to give back to your community and take care of others,” Layman said. “It’s what I saw my grandparents do, and I am happy that we can model this to our grandchildren, too.”

Layman combined her educational and professional experiences to help create patient-care learning opportunities for students through the Costa-Layman Health Fair at Layman Wholesale Nurseries, now Costa Farms. This annual event offers firsthand training for hundreds of college students in the health sciences disciplines while providing vital screenings and services to help meet the health care needs of AU’s underserved neighbors.

“Where else can you check the blood pressure of 200 people in four hours and try to communicate with patients who speak a different native language? The nursery is in a very rural area with lots of farming and agricultural workers, but there is a lack of access to health care,” said Layman, a longtime university foundation board leader and trustee. “We are taking it to them. This is a unique opportunity to prepare our students to care for others.”

For two decades, the health fair has assisted more than 7,000 farm employees while impacting nearly that same number of students, faculty and staff at Augusta University. Beginning with a rural nursery and expanding into a women’s clinic, children’s clinic and a health fair for truck and shuttle drivers, Layman’s efforts have helped AU and its College of Nursing leaders create a scalable community health model that demonstrates the university’s commitment to educating students, improving health care and changing lives.

“Debbie has helped instill – in AU students and faculty alike – a greater understanding and passion for providing preventive health services for vulnerable and underserved populations,” Keen said. “This is a textbook example of how Augusta University, and higher education, can positively impact the communities around us.”

What began as a simple College of Nursing outreach program has grown over the years to include AU faculty, staff and students from the College of Nursing, the College of Allied Health Sciences, the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, the Ryan White Program and other AU colleges, schools and services.

“This event keeps the work of AU out there – not just for patients who need medical care but for students who are pursuing careers to see health care in action,” said Layman. “This showcases the opportunities at Augusta University in the community, and I am very proud of the College of Nursing for being the leader in community outreach like this.”

In addition to the health fair, Layman demonstrates her passion for higher education through personal philanthropy. Debbie and Barry Layman have established three Layman family scholarships to support AU students pursuing careers in nursing, dentistry and allied health. Layman is also a co-contributor to the Marion, Cromer, Layman Clinical Nurse Leader Scholarship, a fund established in partnership with the late Lucy Marion, PhD, dean emeritus of the College of Nursing, and Pam Cromer, DNP, a professor, clinical coordinator for the APRN program and director of the Interdisciplinary Costa Layman Community Health Outreach Programs for the College of Nursing.

“I’ve had the privilege of working side by side with Debbie for more than 20 years, beginning with the Costa Layman Farm Project, which has grown far beyond anything we imagined when it began in 2005,” said Cromer. “What started as a teaching assignment for me became a deep friendship and a mentoring relationship I deeply value. I have tremendous admiration for Debbie’s ability to bring together faculty, students, leaders and communities from across Georgia, all in service of a shared mission: building a better, more compassionate health care workforce.”

The AU College of Nursing recognized Layman in 2015 with the E. Louise Grant Distinguished Alumna Award and in 2024 with the Ever Onward Award for her significant contributions to higher education, the nursing vocation and the community.

While serving as co-chair of the AU Foundation Board of Trustees, Layman brought forth the idea to establish needs-based scholarships for students in each of Augusta University’s colleges, a plan the trustees have now implemented that will benefit students in perpetuity across a dozen colleges at AU.

“Debbie is the first person to offer help to others, demonstrating kindness with initiative, and she is constantly sharing ideas for how the Foundation can enhance Augusta University. Her heart for students, faculty and staff makes her a very valuable asset to our institution and to the USG,” said Stephen Wertz, vice president for Foundations and CEO for Augusta University Foundation, Inc.

About the USG Foundation

The USG Foundation is committed to advancing the work of the University System of Georgia, composed of 26 public higher education institutions, through leadership, engagement in philanthropy, asset management and institutional advancement. The USG Foundation Board of Regents’ Scholarship Gala celebrates the extraordinary achievements of public higher education in Georgia while raising funds for need-based scholarships.