Georgia Southern Receives Largest Gift to Date for Scholarship for Nursing Students
4/4/2016
(L-R) Bob Bigley, East Georgia Regional Medical Center (EGRMC) President & CEO; Dr. Alan Scott, EGRMC Chief of Staff; R. Kenny Stone, EGRMC Chairman, Board of Trustees; Dr. Jean Bartels, R.N, Interim University President; Dr. Sharon Radzyminski, R.N., J.D., Chair, School of Nursing; Dr. Barry Joyner, Dean, College of Health and Human Sciences; Dr. Vince Miller, Associate Vice President, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.
Georgia Southern University has received a gift from East Georgia Regional Medical Center toward the School of Nursing Students’ Memorial Fund established in memory of the five nursing students who lost their lives in a tragic accident on April 22, 2015.
Of the $41,670 given to the University by East Georgia Regional Medical Center, $25,000 was a corporate gift from the hospital and the remaining $16,670 was raised through the generosity of individuals within the hospital’s leadership, Board of Trustees, physicians and employees. Since the tragedy, supporters from the local community and across the country have donated more than $50,000 in additional gifts to the Fund. Georgia Southern has now raised more than $90,000 toward its goal of $125,000 to enable the University to distribute five $1,000 scholarships each year to students in the School of Nursing through the Fund.
“The Georgia Southern family extends beyond our campus as shown by this generous gift from the leadership, physicians and employees of East Georgia Regional Medical Center,” said Interim President Jean E. Bartels, Ph.D., RN. “The support we have received from the medical community and friends of the University following the tragedy will enable us to perpetually remember these remarkable young ladies while making a difference in the lives students dedicated to caring for others for generations to come.”
Efforts to celebrate the lives of the nursing students through a gift to the scholarship fund were led by Bob Bigley, CEO of East Georgia Regional Medical Center.
“The loss of life is tragic. Certainly the loss of five nursing students and the injury of two others impacted all of us in the medical community,” said Bigley. “We all thought long and hard on how to recognize these individuals and the contributions they were going to make in caring for others. After discussions with the physicians, Board of Trustees and employees, we all agreed that providing a lasting tribute to their chosen profession was the most appropriate way to honor them, their profession and those that will follow.”
Individuals interested in helping to reach the $125,000 goal through a contribution to the scholarship fund are encouraged to visit www.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/nursing.
Georgia Southern University’s School of Nursing is fully accredited by the Georgia Board of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/nursing.
Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125 degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit www.GeorgiaSouthern.edu.
East Georgia Regional Medical Center is owned in part by physicians.
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