Scholarships: Our No. 1 funding priority

Of all our funding priorities – capital improvements, program enhancements, research projects – scholarships stand alone as the College of Health Professions’ highest and most urgent.

Here’s why:

• Fulfillment of the mission – Without students, there would be no college. Scholarships make it possible for individuals to reduce the tuition burden. It is also a reward for academic achievement and a steppingstone into their professions.
• Recruitment – Prospective students often make decisions on where to attend based on the pool of financial aid and scholarship money available. It’s no coincidence that highly rated institutions tend to have a high volume of scholarships.
• A culture of giving – Students who receive scholarships are more likely to pay it forward. Many give back to the scholarships they receive, while others create new scholarships. In both cases, these students strengthen the institution and the value of their program and degree.

Because they have an immediate and tangible impact, scholarships can be immensely fulfilling to the donors who invest in them. Many have the opportunity to meet the students who received their scholarships, allowing them to experience their gratitude first-hand and get a closer look at the “seeds” they helped to plant.

With more than 1000 students, the College of Health Professions is the largest college on the Medical University’s campus today. Yet it has just 47 scholarship funds, which provide support to 75 students each year. Clearly, we can and must do better.

Over the past six months, donors have stepped up to create five new scholarships. We are deeply gratified by their generosity and hopeful that others will help us sustain this momentum. As we continue to grow and elevate our programs, we must work equally hard to make sure they remain affordable and accessible to our students.