A $31 million donation from an alumni couple of Marquette University in Milwaukee will fund scholarships and diversity efforts.
Darren and Terry Jackson, who graduated from the university in the '80s, said they were moved by the number of Marquette nurses working on the front-lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Feb. 4 announcement.
"Our country has been through a real challenge over the past year," Ms. Jackson said. "Not only with the COVID crisis, but in the economic crisis and in the cries for social justice. Our goal is to help Marquette answer the call."
The gift will fund scholarships for underrepresented students and will establish a strategic initiatives fund to invest in emerging areas of healthcare such as telehealth. The college of nursing also plans to grow its number of PhD faculty.
With the help of the donation, Marquette aims to educate 5,000 nurses over the next decade.
"This generous gift comes at a really critical time as we persist through the pandemic and work to address racial injustices so that we can decrease health disparities," said Janet Krejci, PhD, RN, dean of Marquette's nursing college. "We see the opportunity to increase the enrollment, retention and graduation rates for our underrepresented students and deepen all of our students' understanding and competencies of how to support and engage patients from a range of different backgrounds."