Fuld Trust Awards UB Nursing School $500,000 Endowment

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The School of Nursing at the University at Buffalo is one of 10 nursing schools in the U.S. chosen by the Helene Fuld Health Trust to receive a major endowment to fund student scholarships.

The UB nursing school will receive $547,000 over three years, $500,000 of which will go into an endowment to provide scholarship income in the future. The remaining $47,000 will be disbursed over the next three years for immediate scholarship use, with $25,000 available this year.

"We are thrilled to be selected for this program," said Mecca Cranley, Ph.D., dean of the UB nursing school. "It will make an enormous difference to some of our students. With this kind of support, we can continue to recruit the best and the brightest, but now we can help them financially."

The Fuld Trust is the largest private foundation devoted exclusively to student nurses and nursing education. Fifteen nursing schools were asked to submit proposals, based on the strength of their baccalaureate nursing education programs.

Cranley said the scholarships will be allocated to students pursuing a first degree in nursing, with students accepted into the school's new accelerated baccalaureate degree program becoming likely candidates.

"This is an intensive 12-month program that allows no time for students to work, so financial support will be especially important," she said. Sixteen students, ranging in age from 24 to 50, have been selected for the first accelerated program, which is set to begin in May.