by Alvernia University
The Neag Foundation awards Alvernia University a transformative $1 million grant to expand the Carole Neag Nursing Scholarship Fund. The grant aims to enhance the university’s efforts in meeting the nursing workforce needs of Reading, Berks County, and the wider region.
“We are deeply honored to receive this generous grant from the Neag Foundation,” said Alvernia University President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. “Carole and Ray shared a strong interest in the Alvernia nursing program, and this investment will not only support the academic journey of our nursing students but will also contribute to the growth and success of our regional healthcare workforce.”
The funds will be added to the existing Carole Neag Nursing Scholarship Fund endowment, established in 2016 through the generosity of Ray and Carole Neag. The expansion is designed to increase financial aid support, enrollment, and retention in Alvernia’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.
To achieve these goals, the university plans to increase the minimum number of four-year Neag Nursing Scholarship Fund recipients from four students per year to at least 10 by 2028. The scholarships will be awarded to students meeting the Fund’s criteria, focusing on those from middle-class households who demonstrate financial need.
Since its inception in 2016, the Neag Nursing Scholarship Fund has provided scholarship support to 82 students enrolled in Alvernia’s BSN program. The impact of the Neag Nursing Scholarship Fund on student success is evident in the significantly increased retention and graduation rates of scholarship recipients.
“The impact of the Neag Nursing Scholarship Fund on our students has been remarkable,” explained Senior Vice President and Provost Leamor Kahanov, Ed.D. “It has not only provided financial assistance but has significantly contributed to increased retention and graduation rates, reinforcing our commitment to developing skilled and compassionate nursing professionals.”
Alvernia University recently celebrated the opening of a 55,000-square-foot facility for the John and Karen Arnold School of Nursing. The state-of-the-art space located on the second floor of the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne features expanded classrooms and laboratories dedicated to interprofessional training, fundamental skills, health assessment, standardized patient simulations, and a specialized resuscitation quality intervention area.
Alvernia University is a Catholic comprehensive university with a liberal arts foundation founded by the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters in 1958. The university serves nearly 3,000 students in Reading, Pottsville, and Philadelphia with a unique blend of rigorous liberal arts education, strong technical training in many high-demand majors, ever-expanding experiential learning opportunities through study abroad and internship experiences, and community engagement through its Franciscan-based community service model.
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