UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A $5.25 million grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF will expand scholarship support for undergraduate nursing students in Penn State’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, building on an earlier $2 million commitment that established the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship at the college.
The new grant will benefit students pursuing bachelor of science degrees in nursing at Penn State Scranton or Penn State Schuylkill, two Commonwealth Campuses that often serve as access points for first-generation students. Across Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses, nearly 40% of incoming first-year undergraduate students are the first in their families to pursue higher education.
The funding will provide scholarship support for more than 100 students between two campuses in the grant’s first year and at least 150 students in each of the following four years. Through the program, selected second-year bachelor of science in nursing students who demonstrate financial need and meet program requirements will receive $5,000 scholarships; third- and fourth-year students who demonstrate financial need and meet the program requirements will be supported with $7,500 scholarships.
Beyond tuition support, the gift will fund college-led initiatives designed to help recipients of the scholarships, known as Conway Scholars, stay on track to graduate in four years and enter the workforce ready to serve as nurses in their communities. Conway Scholars receive structured academic support that includes regular meetings with faculty advisers and peer-led group study sessions. Third- and fourth-year scholars are paired with alumni mentors, and third-year scholars also take part in the college’s WE LEAD program, a leadership development initiative for nursing students.
The Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship is named for Bill Conway Jr., co-founder and co-chairman of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group, and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway. Their philanthropy through the Bedford Falls Foundation and its related donor advised fund has supported more than 55 nursing schools nationwide as part of their goal to contribute $1 billion toward addressing the nursing shortage, funding at least one nursing program in each state.
“We are deeply grateful to the Bedford Falls Foundation for its renewed investment in our students and in the future of nursing,” said Laurie A. Badzek, dean of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. “This support builds on the strong foundation of the Conway Scholars program, giving students the financial support, academic guidance and leadership development they need to complete their degrees and enter the nursing workforce prepared to serve.”
Penn State’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing is one of the largest educators of pre-licensure students in Pennsylvania, with nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students at campuses across the state. The college is dedicated to preparing leaders in nursing to positively impact the lives and health of individuals, communities and populations around the world.
Donors like the Conways advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.