A MAJOR NATIONAL SUPPORTER OF NURSING EDUCATION, through its donor advanced fund, has committed to a $3 million gift to establish the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship.
The Bedford Falls Foundation was established by businessman and philanthropist Bill Conway Jr. and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway. Together with its donor-advised fund, it has given more than $325 million to nursing-related initiatives across many states.
“This extraordinary gift will transform the lives of our students,” School of Nursing Dean Debra J. Barksdale said. “It will directly ease the financial burden for so many of them and allow them to focus more fully on their education and future careers in nursing.”
UNCG’s mission and the mission of the Bedford Falls Foundation are well aligned, Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. noted. “Sustainable scholarship funding ensures that we can recruit the brightest students and that financial need never prevents a prospective student from becoming a nurse.”
The University also shares another big goal with the Bedford Falls Foundation: ending a major nursing shortage. North Carolina expects a shortfall of more than 12,000 nurses by 2033.
UNCG is innovating to fill that gap.
This semester, the first class of students in the Direct Admit program began their studies. Previously, students applied to the BSN program after completing specific courses.
This streamlined process offers more certainty and savings for eligible incoming first-year students.
“Our graduates are a powerful force in improving health outcomes across the state,” Barksdale added. “UNCG graduates the largest number of prelicensure BSN nursing students in the Triad, and many of them choose to remain in the region to serve their communities.”
By Mercer Bufter ’11 MA
Photography by Sean Norona ’13