WSU Awards Nearly $100,000 in Scholarships to Nursing Students

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing has awarded nearly $100,000 in scholarships to 62 students during the 2004-2005 academic year.

“An increasing number of our students are in need of more financial assistance than ever before,” said Mary Wood, chair of the scholarship committee.  “Many scholarship applicants recount stories of multiple job losses in the family, family farms on the edge of failure and, of course, catastrophic family illness with enormous medical bills to pay.”

The need for student scholarships is growing exponentially every semester. Continuing tuition increases have created a growing need for funding and more demand for scholarships. Emily Hinson, a senior from Whitworth College, felt fortunate to be awarded the Quall Scholarship this year. 

“This $1,300 scholarship has relieved so much of the financial burden brought on by school,” Hinson said.  “Knowing that someone believes in the nursing profession, and in my potential to further the profession as a nurse, means a lot.”

Recognizing the increased need, donors have established new endowments to provide assistance to nursing students. In addition to 32 existing scholarships, three new scholarship endowments were offered for the first time. These new funds helped 11 students meet their financial commitments this year. 

The R.G. Andres Memorial Fund gave $1,800 to each of three full-time students who achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. An additional $12,500, available next year, will allow several more students to benefit from this particular scholarship in future years.

The Roy and Leona Nelson Foundation Scholarship, available to students graduating from eastern Washington high schools with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, awarded four $2,000 scholarships. The Nelsons, understanding the financial struggles some students face, helped many students through decades of annual giving and established this endowment in 2004 as part of their estate.

The Martin Jordan and Helen Urquhart Terzieff Scholarship Endowment provided three $950 scholarships to students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. An additional $12,200, available next year, will allow more students to benefit from this scholarship in the future. Both Jordan and Terzieff had a passion for health care and education and chose to provide scholarship assistance to nursing and sciences students.

“Donor support for scholarships is essential as we look to expand the number of nursing students, address the growing nursing shortage and continue to offer the best support possible to our student population,” said Deborah Haberman, director of advancement and external relations for the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing.

“As tuition continues to rise, students who never needed financial support in the past will likely need some sort of scholarship support in the future. Scholarship and endowment gifts are a tremendous way to invest in the supply of future nurses and the future of the nursing profession,” she said.     

Established in 1968, the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The college is the nation’s oldest and most comprehensive nursing education consortium. Celebrating 36 years of world-class nursing education, the college offers baccalaureate, graduate and professional development course work to nursing students enrolled through its four consortium partners: Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, WSU and Whitworth College. Each year the college educates more than 700 graduate and upper-division undergraduate students and prepares more entry-level nurses than any other state educational institution. For more information about the College of Nursing, visit the Web site at nursing.wsu.edu.