The School of Nursing has been awarded $960,000 by the Helene Fuld Health Trust to establish scholarships for bachelor of science in nursing (B.S.N.) students who have a prior bachelor’s degree in another field. The University of Portland is one of six schools nationwide to receive funding for second degree baccalaureate students in nursing from The Helene Fuld Health Trust Scholarship Fund. The grant will be paid in three installments over a four-year period, with half of the funds for annual scholarships, the first to be awarded fall 2013. The other half will create an endowment, with the first scholarships awarded in the 2016-17 academic year.
The award and the partnership with the Helene Fuld Health Trust encourages students with a prior degree, and often more life experience than the traditional student out of high school, to enter nursing. Financial issues are often the biggest barrier for students transferring to the University of Portland to complete an additional bachelor’s degree, according to UP nursing dean Joanne Warner. “This partnership supports the School of Nursing’s priority on increasing the diversity of the nursing work force, including gender, ethnicity and non-traditional students” says Warner.
The Helene Fuld Health Trust’s mission is to support and promote the health, welfare, and education of student nurses and is the nation’s largest private funder devoted exclusively to nursing students and nursing education. The School of Nursing received a previous grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust in 2006, a $550,000 grant to establish scholarships for undergraduate nursing students.
The $960,000 grant is part of the University’s RISE Campaign, which was announced in December 2010 and seeks to raise $175 million by 2014. The RISE Campaign, which has raised more than $161 million to date, is one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university. For more information contact the School of Nursing at 7211 or development at 7395.