The Tarleton School of Nursing received a 1.5-million-dollar scholarship from the Colonel Charles Legion Endowed Scholarship in Nursing. This endowment of scholarship opportunities was established by the family of retired Air Force veteran Colonel Charles Legion, a Tarleton alumni and benefactor, as a part of his estate.
As a part of this scholarship, full time nursing students in good standing may be eligible for this opportunity. This scholarship can relieve the financial stress on nursing students so they can continue in the program. This is not the first time that Colonel Charles Legion has donated to Tarleton’s nursing program. He has donated many times over the past few years.
“A nursing degree is rigorous with ongoing outcome requirements in the classroom, lab, simulation and community/clinical settings. Students must be flexible at all times to adapt to the required learning needs,” Dr. Jennifer Mundine, program director for the Texas Board of Nursing as well as the Assistant Dean of the School of Nursing, said.
“Helping to alleviate financial stressors and increasing affordability will allow more graduates to enter the workforce and begin their nursing career,” Mundine said.
Tarleton’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), as well as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The program allows students to prepare for working with patients in the classroom, skills lab and hospital simulation. Students will travel to rural and urban clinical sites for hands-on experience. The program also partners with hospital systems in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to provide summer externships to undergraduate students.
These externships allow students to become immersed in the hospital environment with a potential employer. The nursing program is also involved in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Tarleton. Nursing students in ROTC will be trained to serve as an officer and a nurse in the U.S. Army after graduation. Nursing students in ROTC also qualify for other scholarships. The nursing program also has study abroad opportunities, state-of-the-art educational technologies and a multitude of registered nurses to mentor and guide the nursing students in their education.
“The School of Nursing’s mission is to provide student-focused, academically and clinically challenging programs that engage students in acquiring evidence-based, value-driven knowledge, skills and attitudes. These are essential for professional nursing careers, responsible citizenship, and leadership,” Mundine said. “The scholarship opportunity for our nursing students directly meets the mission of the School of Nursing.”
After graduation, nursing student Brenna Weaver plans on starting work as an emergency department nurse for two years and then becoming a travel nurse. This dream and the dreams of many other nursing students greatly benefit from this scholarship.
“I think this scholarship will help a lot of students to pursue nursing at Tarleton,” Weaver said.
With the stress of finances off the shoulders of students, they can focus on their academics instead of working to pay tuition.
“The nursing program has made me push myself to be a better student and learn grit,” Weaver said. “It’s an extremely competitive program which means you cannot slack off, but it has been the best opportunity for me and I love it.”
After graduation, nursing student Kristen Peacock plans on becoming an operating room nurse.
“This scholarship opportunity will change several future nurses’ lives. This will allow for dreams to become reality,” Peacock said.
Since nursing school is often expensive, this scholarship will allow students who otherwise may have not be able to afford nursing school to still attend.
“Knowing that Tarleton has opportunities like this proves that it truly cares about its students,” Peacock said.
Since nursing school has numerous expenses, having a scholarship to ease the stress of tuition helps the students focus on their academics.
“It is stories like this that make me proud to be a Tarleton Texan,” Peacock said. “This donation highlights all of the Tarleton Core Values, and I hope this inspires others to uphold them in their future endeavors outside the gates.”
Senior nursing student Dustin Roberds plans on working in emergency services after graduation.
“This often-expensive degree path poses difficulty for some students regarding funding,” Roberds said. “With the donation, students will have the opportunity to receive scholarship funds to help support their degree completion.”
The materials that one required for nursing school including textbooks, online access codes, stethoscopes and more add to the expense of the degree plan.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic causing difficulty in maintaining or acquiring jobs, the scholarships provided by this donation may help ease the financial burden during this difficult time,” Roberds said.
Scholarships like the Colonel Charles Legion Endowed Scholarship is what allows the Tarleton School of Nursing to grow and continue the education of nursing students to help them become successful nurses.