Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.
Alverno College, a women’s liberal arts educational institution in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has received a $1.1 million legacy gift from Gwen and Rudy Godinez, who participated in the college’s adult education initiative after their retirement. The donation will fund scholarships for first-generation undergraduate students beginning in the fall 2026 semester.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $483,620 grant to Mentewab Ayalew, professor of biology at Spelman College – a women’s liberal arts educational institution in Atlanta. Dr. Ayalew will use the funding to create an integrated genomic data science curriculum for the college’s biology program. The updated program will prepare students to manage the massive datasets that are driving biomedical research in oncology, human genetics, neuroscience, and disease prevention.
The Whitson-Hester School of Nursing at Tennessee Technological University was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to train and certify sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs). Students who choose to become a certified SANE receive additional training beyond their nursing degrees, preparing them to conduct trauma-informed interviews, collect evidence, document and photograph injuries, and understand how trauma affects the brain and body.