A $1.5 million gift will fund scholarships for nursing students at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, school leaders announced Thursday night.
The bequest raises some hope for UAM leaders that Arkansas can chip away at its shortage of nurses.
Raylene Steelman, a former university librarian, left the university money in her estate, according to a university news release. She died April 12 in Monticello at 96.
Steelman graduated from Warren High School and worked for 37 years at the UAM library. Late in life, she received care from nurses who were UAM graduates.
University Chancellor Karla Hughes announced the gift Thursday night at the School of Nursing Graduate Recognition Ceremony.
The gift will add about $70,000 per year in nursing student scholarships.
Each nursing graduate this semester had at least one scholarship, according to the university. On average, the university gives nursing students about $500,000 in scholarships each year.
The gift is the second-largest in the university's history. The university announced a more than $6 million surprise gift last fall from a Dumas couple.
Brandy Haley, dean of the UAM nursing school, said in a news release that she hopes the funds will help her recruit students and encourage working nurses to advance their credentials and earn more money.
"After you've been working, it can be difficult to imagine taking a break to get another academic credential, but [bachelor's degrees in nursing] are in very high demand in Arkansas," she said in the release.
The state, like the rest of the nation, faces a shortage of nurses.
Drew County, where Monticello is, has an average number of nurses per 10,000 residents, compared with the rest of Arkansas, according to the 2017 Health Professions Manpower Assessment from the Arkansas Department of Health. Nurses are in shortest supply farther east in the Delta and in parts of the state's western half, including Northwest Arkansas.
This fall, the University of Arkansas at Monticello had 112 students enrolled in its technical certificate in practical-nursing program, 26 students enrolled in its associate of applied science program in nursing and 217 students enrolled in its bachelor's degree nursing program, according to Arkansas Department of Higher Education data. Those are lower totals than most of the rest of Arkansas' four-year public universities.
In the past three full school years, not including this year, the university graduated 21, 12 and 20 students each year in the technical certificate program, according to department data. It graduated fewer than 11 each year in the associate program and 28, 22 and 19 students in its bachelor's program.
Metro on 05/10/2019