The Conway-Welch Second Degree in Nursing Scholarship is the first major gift made toward the Master of Nursing program, which was launched in 2023 to help address the nationwide shortage of registered nurses.
The number of dedicated nurses entering the profession will increase, thanks to a $1.25 million pledge from the Conway-Welch Family Foundation to establish the Conway-Welch Second Degree in Nursing Scholarship at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. This milestone gift, which will be awarded to a student enrolling in Vanderbilt’s new Master of Nursing program, was made in honor of Colleen Conway-Welch, the former dean of the school who died five years ago from pancreatic cancer.
This is the first major gift made toward the MN program, which was launched in 2023 to help address the nationwide shortage of registered nurses, and it memorializes Conway-Welch as part of Dare to Grow, a $3.2 billion campaign that is the most ambitious fundraising effort in Vanderbilt’s history. The MN program provides fast-moving and comprehensive training to students who are choosing nursing as a second career. Vanderbilt’s MN program is also distinguished by its unique focus on health equity and the impact that social determinants and individual experiences can have on patient care.
“In supporting our MN students, the Conway-Welch Family Foundation will enable more registered nurses to enter the profession and to do so with expertise, compassion and awareness of the challenges facing our health care system today,” said current School of Nursing Dean Pamela Jeffries, who also holds the Valere Potter Distinguished Chair in Nursing. “The foundation’s philanthropy will impact our students’ lives, careers and ability to help our broader society—all things that mattered deeply to Dean Conway-Welch.”
Read more about the Conway-Welch Family Foundation gift in the original story here.
