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ALUMNI NEWS
Small Gestures Can Make a Big Impact
Why One LSU School of Nursing Alum Gives Back
It’s di icult to imagine that $300 could change the course of someone’s life – allowing that person to begin a career that would change the lives of countless other people. But that’s just what happened to August J. Rantz III.
Upon returning home from serving in the Vietnam War, Rantz enrolled in
the LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing with dreams of becoming a nurse anesthetist. But he soon found it di icult to support his wife and children while attending nursing school full-time. He knew what he had to do. So, he headed to the o ice of former Dean Helen Dunn to tell her he was dropping out.
Recognizing both Rantz’s potential and his dedication to his family, Dean Dunn said she’d try to find a way to help. She asked him to come back a week later. When he did, the dean handed him a $300 check, which helped relieve some of the short-term financial pressure he felt. Little did she know that it would help Rantz establish a long and successful career and – ultimately – found a multimillion-dollar company.
August J. Rantz III recently donated $25,000 in support
of the James and Helen Dunn Endowed Professorship at
the School of Nursing, to help support more students as they pursue their passions.
From Struggling Scholar to Successful Entrepreneur
Rantz graduated from the LSU School
of Nursing, and he eventually went on to earn a specialty degree and become Director of Anesthesia at an eye surgery center in Phoenix. He partnered with an anesthesiologist there to build outpatient surgical centers and a pain management company before moving on to co-found AMG Integrated Healthcare Management.
By the time he stepped down as chairman of AMG in 2016, Rantz had grown the company to include 14 long-term, acute-care hospitals and two acute rehabilitation hospitals that employ thousands of people who care for critically ill patients across the country.
Giving Back to the LSU Community
Rantz hopes he can help inspire others to pursue their dreams and make an impact in their world, just as Dean Dunn did for him.
He recently donated $25,000 in support of the James and Helen Dunn Endowed Professorship at the School of Nursing, to help support more students as they pursue their passions.
Rantz’s story is one of a life and career shaped by personal dedication, perseverance and the strength and support of the School of Nursing family.
“Dean Dunn told me that things always have a way of working out and not to give up on my dreams,” remembers Rantz. “She believed in me and really helped change my life. I want to o er someone else that same opportunity.”
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