With a looming nursing workforce shortage across the United States, Drexel University is working to make nursing education more accessible in order to support the nursing workforce pipeline. Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions has received generous support from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF to create the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship for nursing students.
To help improve access to a high-quality nursing education and address the critical nursing workforce shortage, the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF — the donor advised fund associated with the Foundation — has committed $1 million to fund scholarships for students in Drexel’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. The scholarship fund is named in honor of the Foundation’s founders.
“This transformational funding from the Bedford Falls Foundation marks a defining moment for the College of Nursing and Health Professions. By directly supporting our prelicensure nursing students, the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF is eliminating financial barriers and accelerating our ability to prepare the next generation of nurses —compassionate, skilled and ready to lead,” said Kymberlee Montgomery, DNP, senior associate dean of Nursing and chief nursing academic officer in the College of Nursing and Health Professions. “On behalf of our entire community, I extend our deepest gratitude to the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF for its unwavering commitment to the nursing profession and to the future of health care. This investment will ripple through every patient, family and community our graduates serve.”
To maximize the impact and strengthen the future nursing workforce, the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship will support 132 third- and fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing students and Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing students —two high-need, high-potential groups. This will ensure equitable support for academically strong students with financial need across both programs. The Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship directly supports Drexel’s mission to graduate resilient, practice-ready nurses equipped to meet the demands of today’s health care system.
In addition to financial support, each Conway Scholar will be paired with a dedicated faculty mentor who will guide their academic and professional growth with mentoring activities proven to reduce attrition and foster practice readiness.
“We are thrilled to receive support of our nursing students from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF. This generous funding directly empowers our future nurses – helping to ease financial burdens and allowing them to focus more fully on their education and clinical training,” said Emily Roper, PhD, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions. “Through dedicated faculty mentorship, academic coaching, and simulation-based skill building, we are ensuring that Conway Scholars are fully supported – academically, professionally, and personally.”
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing-Co-op program is one of few in the nation that embeds structured cooperative education directly into undergraduate nursing. Students gain early, sustained clinical experience in real health care settings while advancing clinical judgment, communication and professionalism through high-fidelity simulation.
The Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is one of the nation’s most established accelerated career entry pathways. In just 11 months, the College of Nursing and Health Professions prepares second-degree students — who already hold a bachelor’s degree — to enter clinical practice fully licensed and practice-ready and helping to quickly meet urgent workforce needs in hospital systems.
“We are especially proud of the leadership of Mary Yost, PhD, chair of the BSN-Co-op program and Jennifer Olszewski, EdD, chair of the Nursing Accelerated Career Entry program. Thanks to their guidance – and the dedication of the faculty and staff in both programs – these programs have earned national recognition for their academic rigor, clinical excellence and commitment to preparing practice-ready nurses,” said Roper.
“This support is not just about a scholarship, it is about the possibility,” said William “Bill” E. Conway Jr., cofounder and cochairman of the Bedford Falls Foundation. “We are investing in students so they can focus on learning, serving and ultimately strengthening the future of health care in this country. We are proud to partner with Drexel University.”
Bedford Falls Foundation is a private foundation, and the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF, its associated donor advised fund, were each established by Bill Conway Jr., co-founder and co-chairman of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group, and his late wife Joanne Barkett Conway. The shared mission of their nursing philanthropy is to remove financial barriers to a high-quality nursing education and supporting educational partners in addressing the critical nursing workforce shortage.
For more information visit: https://drexel.edu/cnhp/academics/departments/Nursing-Undergraduate/.