Grants or Gifts Relating to Women in Higher Education

Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.

The School of Nursing at Cedar Crest College, an educational institution for women in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $100,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health for public awareness, education and outreach programs regarding Type 1 diabetes. The grant program is under the direction of Wendy Robb, who holds the Hazel & Walter May Endowed Chair for Excellence in Nursing at Cedar Crest College and is dean of the School of Nursing. Dr. Robb is a graduate of Gwynedd Mercy University in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania. She earned a master’s degree in nursing at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Union College in Schenectady, New York, received a $51 million donation from Rich and Mary Templeton, who were both members of the 1980 graduating class. Rich Templeton is CEO of Texas Instruments. The gift is the largest in the college’s history. The gift will fund the creation of the Templeton Institute for Engineering and Computer Science. Some of the funds will be earmarked for the recruitment and retention of women pursuing a degree in engineering or computer science.

Howard University, the historically Black educational institution in Washington, D.C., received a $200,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support two, three-year scholarships for undergraduate women who are majoring in engineering. In addition to covering tuition and fees, the scholarships will also cover the cost of room and board as well as supplies over the three-year period.