Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.
Sweet Briar College in Virginia has received two gifts from alumnae to support the operational needs and current priorities at the women’s college. Alumna Allie Stemmons Simon gifted $6 million to support Sweet Briar’s Campus Electric Distribution Upgrade project, which aims to upgrade the college’s electrical infrastructure. Another alumna, who wishes to remain anonymous, donated $4 million to address the college’s immediate priorities outlined in its strategic plan.
The College of Nursing at Texas Woman’s University has received a $749,977 grant from the state of Texas to expand clinical training for undergraduate nursing students. The two-year project will give students more opportunities to practice clinical skills in simulation labs with faculty and teaching assistants before demonstrating abilities in one-on-one simulated clinical exams as part of a competency-based curriculum. This approach shifts the emphasis from completing a set amount of clinical training to demonstrating competency. Students who do not demonstrate competency on their first attempt will receive individualized coaching and additional opportunities to practice before being reassessed.
The Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College, a women’s liberal arts educational institution in Pennsylvania, received a $1 million gift from alumna Judith Deutsch Karofsky. The gift will support initiatives for graduate-student practicums, curriculum development, and research related to the fields of elder care and death and dying.