SUPPORTING SAINT ANSELM NURSES
Saint Anselm College has received a transformational donation of $1.8M from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF. This generous contribution supports the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences with scholarships, staffing resources, and funds for student educational success.
The Bedford Falls Foundation was founded by philanthropists Bill Conway, Jr. and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway, to remove barriers to a high-quality nursing education and address the critical nursing workforce shortage. The couple have committed to helping educate 20,000 nurses in the United States. Support from Bill and Joanne Conway has helped graduate more than 7,000 nurses to date.
“When Joanne and I began discussing areas that were meaningful to us to support, we talked about nurses and the impact they had made in our lives,” Conway said. “We believed that by investing in nursing education, we are not only helping to meet the everpresent, growing demand but also enabling the future generation of nurses to lead lives of service and purpose while also providing for themselves and their families.”
Dr. Diane Uzarski, the inaugural dean of the Jean School, said the college was grateful for the support of the Bedford Falls Foundation.
“We are building on our rich legacy of healthcare education excellence and quality nursing practice,” she said. “As we look to our bright future, we are implementing our strategic plan to position us to provide students with the best possible academic experience at Saint Anselm College.”
With this gift, the college has established the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship to provide renewable scholarship awards of $5,000, $7,000, or $10,000 to students with high-demonstrated need, first-generation college students with demonstrated need, and residents of New Hampshire with demonstrated need.
The Bedford Falls Foundation donation also is supporting an academic support and retention specialist who will provide student advisement, academic coaching and related programming. This position will play a pivotal role in enhancing the academic success of undergraduate and graduate Jean School nursing students through targeted support and partnership with the Academic Resource Center; with the goal to significantly increase the number of nurses who successfully complete the school’s nursing programs.
In addition, a one-time contribution of $100K is being used toward the Joanne Barkett Conway Dean’s Discretionary Fund. These funds are being used for purposes that meet both the Bedford Falls Foundation mission to support nursing education and educational success for students in need, consistent with the Jean School’s strategic plan goal to support student access and success by enriching the student experience for all.
“We are deeply thankful to the Bedford Falls Foundation for this investment in our mission and the belief in the power of education to change lives,” said Saint Anselm President Joseph A. Favazza. “This gift will help ensure that our students and faculty have the resources they need to thrive and make meaningful contributions to the world.”
For Conway, the importance of supporting the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences is significant. “We are proud to partner with the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences to further its mission of shaping compassionate leaders in healthcare, especially among first-generation college students,” Conway said. “At Bedford Falls Foundation, our principal mission is to facilitate greater access to high-quality nursing education while removing the financial barrier, so students can focus on entering the nursing workforce with less stress.”
The college is opening a new home for the Jean School, with a ribbon-cutting planned for September 5. At 45,000 square feet, Grappone Hall will provide nursing, community and public health, and health science students with the learning environment and experiences to become the next generation of healthcare leaders.