Grand Valley State University’s Kirkhof College of Nursing (KCON) was recently granted $600,000 to help assist students with the cost of the program.

The Helene Fuld Health Trust has a mission to support and promote the health, welfare and education of student nurses and is the nation’s largest private funder devoted exclusively to nursing students and nursing education. 

“Being selected to receive this endowment award from the Helene Fuld Health Trust acknowledges KCON as an exceptional nursing program and provides a mechanism for sustainability in ensuring enrollment of a diverse student population,” said Associate Dean for the GVSU Undergraduate Programs in Nursing Jane Winter. 

The endowment grant is paid throughout three years, and each year a portion of the endowment funding will be designated to nursing students who have a degree in another field and are enrolled in GVSU KCON’s baccalaureate program for second degree students.

The Accelerated Second Degree Baccalaureate Nursing Program is a highly competitive, 15-month program that provides educational experiences that encourage intellectual achievement, critical thinking and self-expression while emphasizing the importance of human values and cultures.

Winter said that GVSU’s Kirkhof College of Nursing was invited to apply for this endowment grant for its Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing Students Program. They underwent a competitive selection process and received the grant because they met their criteria for being an exceptional College of Nursing.

The application process includes providing information on enrollment, graduation and registered nurse licensing rates. They also had to describe KCON’S history and mission, as well as how they prepare their graduates to be culturally competent, to care for well and frail elderly and provide palliate care.

“We spoke to the collaborative relationships KCON has with the surrounding health care systems, the various clinical practice settings we offer to students, the well-qualified faculty that deliver the curriculum and the resources that support student learning,” Winter said.

The recipients of the scholarship will need to be either accepted or currently enrolled full-time in KCON’s Accelerated Second Degree Baccalaureate Nursing Program and making satisfactory academic progress according to the university criteria. Winter also said Financial aid will be demonstrated by the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

“This gift is a part of the Laker Effect campaign, which is transforming the lives of students and enhancing the west Michigan community,” Winter said. “The Laker Effect Campaign is a comprehensive campaign to raise funds for the university’s priorities.”

The Laker Effect Campaign’s top priority is to provide access for every qualified student who wants to attend GVSU and to keep that education affordable; scholarships are a huge priority in this campaign.

“KCON students are incredibly hard-working and dedicated to promoting health at the individual and community levels,” Winter said. 

“We are so pleased these scholarships will assist selected second degree BSN students in meeting tuition costs. Recipients will experience some financial relief allowing them to focus on their nursing studies and realize their dream of a career in nursing.”