Norfolk, Neb., nursing instructor Beth Burbach, is the first recipient of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Excellence Scholarship.
“This is very exciting for me,” Burbach said. “Earning a doctoral degree has been a lifelong dream of mine.”
The $10,000 scholarship provides tuition, fees and a living stipend for up to two years and may be extended. It is contingent upon maintaining a GPA of 3.5 and is available to residents in one of 24 northern Nebraska counties.
“The College of Nursing is excited to confer this scholarship on Beth. She is a motivated student who is currently in the UNMC doctoral program and teaches in the Northeast Community College nursing program,” said Ruth Macnamara, Ph.D., assistant dean in the UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division.
Funding for the scholarship, which is designed to develop nurses who want to teach nursing, is provided by the Nursing Fund for Excellence. Faith Regional Health Services is a major contributor to the fund, along with hospitals, health agencies and individuals in north and northeast Nebraska.
Burbach said she plans to continue teaching in northeastern Nebraska after completing her Ph.D.
Residents in the following counties are eligible to apply for the scholarship: Antelope, Boone, Boyd, Brown, Burt, Cedar, Cherry, Colfax, Cuming, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Holt, Keya Paha, Knox, Madison, Nance, Pierce, Platte, Rock, Stanton, Thurston, Wayne and Wheeler.
“It is often difficult for nurses to attend graduate school as full-time students, but doing so speeds the time it takes to complete the degree,” Dr. Macnamara said.
Scholarship applications for the 2009-2010 academic school year can be submitted now. Applications for other academic school years will be accepted on a continual basis. The application is available on UNMC’s College of Nursing Web site at www.unmc.edu/nursing.
For more information, contact Dr. Macnamara at 402-253-5515 or via email at rmacnamara@unmc.edu.
As the state’s only academic health science center, UNMC is on the leading edge of health care. Breakthroughs are possible because hard-working researchers, educators and clinicians are resolved to work together to fuel discovery. In 2009, UNMC’s extramural research support topped $100 million for the first time, resulting in the creation of 3,600 jobs in Nebraska. UNMC’s academic excellence is shown through its award-winning programs, and its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading health care centers. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 550 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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