SPOKANE, Wash. — The Intercollegiate College of Nursing/Washington State University College of Nursing will award more than $100,000 in scholarship monies to 53 students and recognize major donors at a reception and awards ceremony set for Friday, May 3. The 4:30 p.m. event will be held in the courtyard area of the college campus located at 2917 W. Fort George Wright Dr.
Fueled by tuition increases and an uncertain economy, the applicant pool for scholarships at the College of Nursing nearly doubled in this year.
“We have students who suddenly need tuition assistance because their spouse has lost their job,” said Dorothy Detlor, dean of the Intercollegiate College of Nursing/WSU College of Nursing. “Couple that with discussions of state budget shortfalls and additional tuition hikes, the need for scholarship assistance among our students becomes apparent.”
The good news is that when students graduate they have numerous offers for employment due to a nursing shortage. That fact and the generosity and commitment of the many donors help students focus on the value of their educational preparation, Detlor said.
In addition to the individuals, corporations and foundations that fund scholarships, the College of Nursing is dependent upon major donors for critical student support. In response to the growing nursing shortage, the college received grants and commitments totaling $360,000 this year from a regional health care consortium in Spokane and two hospitals in Yakima to fund extra sections of upper-division baccalaureate students in those communities. Nurses are the single largest segment of the health care profession nationwide.
Established in 1968, the Intercollegiate College of Nursing/WSU College of Nursing is the nation’s first, oldest and most comprehensive nursing education consortium. The College of Nursing offers baccalaureate, graduate and professional development course work to nursing students enrolled through its four consortium partners, Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, Washington State University and Whitworth College. Each year, the college educates more than 600 graduate and upper-division undergraduate students and prepares more entry-level nurses than any other educational institution in the state. For more information about the Intercollegiate College of Nursing/WSU College of Nursing, visit the college Web site at nursing.wsu.edu.
