GIFTS AT WORK: Judge Paula Manderfield, CON BSN '79

Judge Manderfield received an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Michigan Tech in 1975. She worked as an RN part-time at Ingham Regional Medical Center while completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Michigan State University. She served as an ICU nurse before being appointed Nursing Supervisor of the afternoon shift. This, as well as student loans, helped Judge Manderfield support herself through college. While working at Ingham, she enjoyed the immediate satisfaction of critical care nursing.

Judge Manderfield attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School where she completed a Juris Doctorate Degree in eight semesters and continued to support herself while working as an RN. She worked her way through law school as a Nursing Supervisor and graduated in the top third of her class in 1982. Although she went on to practice law and was later elected to the judiciary, she maintained contact with the nursing profession, and served for several years as adjunct faculty for the College of Nursing. She was also a board member for a large HMO, and chose to have board fees donated to the Judge Paula Manderfield Endowed Scholarship Fund. She is also a member of the Presidents Club of Michigan State University.

In 1992, Judge Manderfield was elected to the 54-A District Court bench where she served for eight years. She met her husband David Murphy Gilstrap in 1993 at a charity golf outing in Laingsburg, MI, while serving as co-chair of “Golf… for the Health of It!” He had moved to Michigan from Texas to teach turf management. The couple was married in Hawaii two years later. Judge Manderfield later ran for and won her current position of Circuit Court Judge.

The Paula Manderfield Endowed Scholarship was established by Paula and her husband with preference that it will provide financial assistance to students enrolled in the college’s BSN option for Registered Nursing. This scholarship is meant to encourage nursing students who have demonstrated the capacity to achieve educational and professional goals.

“This scholarship has provided me the opportunity to take additional elective credits… without increasing the financial burden on my family,” stated 2007 recipient Amanda Janisse, who returned to Michigan State University as part of the RN to BSN program. “I will be very proud to obtain my bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, and am now considering a Master’s degree in Nursing.”

Judge Manderfield is grateful for the knowledge and skills she has earned from her nursing education and career. She has worked to combine her nursing background with her law practice as part of understanding medical records that are key components in many cases. The psychological background from her BSN helped her learn to work better with people. Her gratitude is reflected in the generous scholarship she created.