VCU School of Nursing receives gift from Sentara Healthcare to fund student scholarships
A $250,000 gift will provide tuition support for nursing students
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing received a $250,000 gift made by Sentara Healthcare that will fund tuition and emergency support for currently enrolled in-state students. The gift, made as a part of the Sentara Scholars program, is intended to incentivize participation in nursing programs and supports Sentara’s mission to create a diverse and highly skilled workforce pipeline in healthcare.
We are grateful to have the support of Sentara in our mission to prepare future nurses. The VCU School of Nursing is committed to the success of our students and preparing them to be practice-ready. This gift is critical in helping us achieve that goal.
Jean Giddens, Ph.D., professor and dean of the VCU School of Nursing and Doris B. Yingling Endowed Chair
VCU has recently expanded its enrollment in nursing by an additional 15% in the newest cohort of students, answering the call by the health care community to strengthen the workforce pipeline. The school has also added program supports, like the addition of a student success coach and access to emergency funds, to ensure every student can be their best, continue their learning and graduate.
“Removing any and all barriers to a nursing education is a priority for our school. With more than 70% of our undergraduate nursing students qualifying for need-based support, we are glad for partners like Sentara that provide important financial resources to students who want to enter the profession,” said Giddens.
Sentara’s gift is part of the school’s most successful fundraising year on record with over $13M in new student support funds. With Sentara’s recent contribution, VCU School of Nursing is on pace to award over $6.9M in tuition support to students in the next two years.
“VCU’s MCV Campus plays a critical role in ensuring the health care workforce in our community, our region and beyond is ready to meet the growing demands of our world,” said Margaret Ann Bollmeier, president and CEO of the MCV Foundation. “Thanks to innovative student support, expanded recruitment efforts and community-focused programs that place students in real-world situations, no one has met the challenge of preparing tomorrow’s health care leaders better than the VCU School of Nursing. Generous gifts like this one from Sentara show that our community partners also have faith in the exceptional outcomes we see in VCU’s nursing students, and we are proud to steward the funds to maximize their impact on the lives of future nurses.”
The VCU School of Nursing enrolls 930 students in academic programs, from entry-level practice through the doctorate. The school’s undergraduate program is ranked No. 22 in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, placing it in the top 4% of all undergraduate nursing programs nationwide.
About Sentara
Sentara Healthcare, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates more than 130 years in pursuit of its mission – “we improve health every day.” Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 30,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than 1.2 million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety, and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named to IBM Watson Health’s “Top 15 Health Systems” (2021, 2018), and was recognized by Forbes as a “Best Employer for New Grads” (2022), “Best Employer for Veterans” (2022), and “Best Employer for Women” (2020).
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