Fairfield University's School of Nursing has been awarded a $600,000 grant to establish the Helene Fuld Health Trust Scholarship Fund for Baccalaureate Nursing Students. This gift was made possible by the Helene Fuld Health Trust, HSBC Bank USA, N.A. Trustee, a fund that acknowledges the tremendous value of nurses in patient care and addresses the pressing national nursing shortage. Fairfield joins a prestigious group of universities in receiving funding through the Trust.

The Helene Fuld Health Trust, the nation's largest private funder devoted exclusively to nursing students and nursing education, was launched a number of years ago and with it established endowments at Schools of Nursing across the country where substantial achievements had been realized.

Jeanne Novotny, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing at Fairfield, said the School was selected because it met the criteria for the highest level of academic scholarship and is nationally recognized as one of the leading master's I institutions in the country.

"We are so excited about this award," Dr. Novotny said. "It will impact our students and the School of Nursing in general because of the prestigious nature of the award, and it will provide scholarship resources for us to attract the brightest and the best for our baccalaureate nursing program."

The $600,000 grant from the Trust will support $300,000 toward the establishment of a permanent endowment fund for BSN students and $300,000 toward current use financial aid, starting in fiscal year 2011, according to Noël Appel, director of Foundation Relations at Fairfield.

The Helene Fuld Health Trust, HSBC Bank USA, N.A. Trustee, has awarded millions of dollars in grants to nursing programs. Many of the grants were earmarked to create endowments that will provide continuing financial aid to students seeking a baccalaureate degree in nursing and who are prepared to deliver the highest level of nursing care at the bedside.

In the past decade, Fairfield's School of Nursing has been transformed into a national leader in Master's I Nursing education thanks to creative and talented administrators and faculty. New programs have been added, including the Nurse Anesthesia and Clinical Nurse Leader programs, as well as the University's very first doctoral program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.

For more information about Fairfield University's School of Nursing, call (203) 254-4000, ext. 4150, or visit www.fairfield.edu/son .

Posted On: 09-29-2010 10:09 AM

Volume: 43 Number: 59