Widener University School of Nursing Receives Grants from Independence Blue Cross Foundation

Chester, PA – The School of Nursing at Widener University was awarded two grants from Independence Blue Cross Foundation through its Nurses for Tomorrow initiative for both graduate and undergraduate students the 2014-15 academic year.

“Students of the School of Nursing will greatly benefit from this generous gift from Independence Blue Cross Foundation,” Dr. Laura Dzurec, dean of the School of Nursing, said. “We are honored by the continuous support from the foundations, especially through this initiative. The Nurses for Tomorrow program directly addresses the need for nurses and nursing educators and supports increasing the number of well-prepared practitioners, which is what our program aims to accomplish.” 

The School of Nursing at Widener received two nursing scholarship grants totaling $56,373, one for graduate education for $47,802 and one for undergraduate education for $8,571. Independence Blue Cross has supported the School of Nursing since 2007.

The IBC Foundation Nurses for Tomorrow Scholarship Program is open to all accredited undergraduate and graduate nursing programs located in the five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia. To date, the IBC Foundation has awarded $3 million in nursing scholarship grants.

The initiative is designed to increase the number of practicing registered nurses and advanced practice nurses, as there is a growing need for qualified nurses due to the aging population and the newly insured under the Affordable Care Act. There is also a national shortage of registered nurses.

The allocated funds for undergraduates students are distributed in the form of a scholarship to a current junior with a 3.5 GPA in the School of Nursing and a 3.0 GPA overall that are from the five county area. The graduate scholarship supports the master’s program in the School of Nursing.