The Bedford Falls Foundation–DAF, a donor-advised fund advised by the Bedford Falls Foundation, recently made a $3 million gift to the University of Iowa College of Nursing. The gift includes $2.4 million for undergraduate nursing student scholarships for Iowa residents and $600,000 to support a mobile simulation program that delivers clinical training across Iowa. The Bedford Falls Foundation is a private foundation established by The Carlyle Group co-founder and co-chairman Bill Conway, Jr. and his late wife Joanne Barkett Conway,
“This generous gift expands access for nursing students from Iowa to our high-quality academic and clinical training,” said Julie Zerwic, Kelting dean of the UI College of Nursing. “Bill and Joanne Conway’s visionary philanthropy directly strengthens the health and wellbeing of Iowans through high-quality nursing care.”
The Bedford Falls Foundation recognizes that nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system and play critical roles at every level of health care. Guided by its mission to “remove barriers to a high-quality nursing education and address the critical nursing workforce shortage,” the foundation partners with nursing schools around the country to provide scholarships and other support that promotes nursing student success.
At the UI College of Nursing, the foundation’s $2.4 million gift will be distributed over four years. Each year, it will provide approximately 120 in-state Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students with the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship.
“Through this partnership with the University of Iowa College of Nursing, we’re proud to support Iowa students as they work towards their nursing degree and help expand access to training across the state,” said Bill Conway. “These future nurses will go on to make a difference in the lives they touch, equipped with the skills they’ve gained at UI.”
In addition to funding scholarships, the gift will also provide $600,000 to advance the work of Simulation in Motion–Iowa (SIM-IA), a mobile simulation program that delivers hands-on emergency training to healthcare providers across Iowa’s 99 counties. Operating three mobile simulation units around the state, SIM-IA delivers customized, evidence-based simulations tailored to the needs of local emergency medical services, healthcare providers, and community members.
Established in 1898, the UI College of Nursing has a long history of excellence in nursing education. Current undergraduate enrollment is 644 students, and 165 students earn their BSN each year. The BSN program is currently ranked No. 4 in the country by US News & World Report.