For one day next week, nursing studies will cease, doors will close, and hearts will open, as students, faculty and staff remember an event that shook their lives one year ago.

On Oct. 28, 2002, Barbara S. Monroe, Robin E. Rogers and Cheryl M. McGaffic were gunned down by Robert S. Flores Jr. in the College of Nursing before he killed himself.

"We will never forget these women," said Ki Moore, chair of the faculty for the College of Nursing.

Nobody from outside the college, except for family of the slain professors, will be allowed to take part in what is seen as an opportunity for a tight knit community to support one another, said Dean Marjorie Isenberg.

"This is a time to celebrate the healing process," Isenberg said. "It will be a celebration of nursing."

During hard times like the anniversary of the Oct 28 shootings, Ken Marsh, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said surrounding yourself with people who support you is a healthy and necessary thing to do.

"The 28th will be a day many of us wake up a bit earlier than usual, we will be a little more stressed than usual," Marsh said. "It is a tough time."

Governor Janet Napolitano will be on hand to honor the professors and to say a few words, said Paul Allvin, the governor's director of communications.

"She wanted to be there to pay her respects," Allvin said.

Other speakers will include several nurses from around the country, speaking on what it means to do the job they do.

"It was a challenge to figure out how to address this anniversary in a meaningful way," Isenberg said. "We wanted it to be an educational experience for students."

Dr. Betty Ferrell, a nursing researcher from the City of Hope in California will be speaking about grief, resolution and coping, Moore said.

"She will be speaking on how to move forward after you experience a loss," she added.

Although a courtyard that will honor the professors is still under construction, administrators hope it will be finished for the dedication on Tuesday.

Five donated benches and two tables will be unveiled in honor of the three women, as will a mural donated by the class of 2003.

The olive tree mural titled "tree of life" will be installed on an outside wall of the college.

"We always wanted to create an open and more engaging area for students to sit," Isenberg said. "It will be very beautiful,"

UA's Counseling and Psychological Services will be available for any student who might need to talk, said Marsh.

Life and Work Connections will also be available for any faculty or staff that may need to talk, he said.

By grieving you are remembering and honoring the victims, he added.

"You should always let yourself experience the grief of an event," he said.

Even though the event will be closed to the public, the College of Nursing has organized other events the UA and the Tucson community can participate in.

"We wanted to have events that will involve the community at large," Isenberg said. "But we also wanted to have something private just for the College of Nursing."

On Sunday Oct. 26, the college will be hosting a 5K-memorial walk/run at 1305 N. Martin St.

Registration for the walk/run will begin at 7 a.m. and costs $35. The walk/run begins at 9 a.m.

All profits will go towards the Nursing Faculty Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund, an annual scholarship that benefits undergraduate nursing students.

The College of Nursing will also be holding a candlelight vigil Oct. 27 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Arizona Health Science Plaza.

Candles will be provided.

The main UA campus has no events planned for Oct. 28, said Sharon Kha, the UA spokeswoman.

"We wanted to gather around the College of Nursing and not schedule anything that would be in competition with the events they have planned," Kha said.