News Releases

University of Maryland School of Nursing Awarded Jonas Center Grant to Endow Darlene J. Curley Scholarship

February 20, 2017

The scholarship is in honor of the UMSON alumna.

‌Baltimore, Md.– The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) has been awarded $25,000 from the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare to endow the Darlene J. Curley Scholarship. This latest grant contributes to the $255,000 that UMSON has received from the center since 2012 to support UMSON nursing students financially.

The Jonas Center’s gift honors Curley, MS ’82, BSN ’80, RN, FAAN, the center’s executive director. The scholarship will support doctoral students who have demonstrated a focus on and commitment to community/public health and/or leadership and administration; it will be awarded annually and will be based on academic achievement.

“I am thankful to the Jonas Center and the University of Maryland School of Nursing for this wonderful honor,” Curley said. “Nursing leadership in practice, research, and policy is more important than ever to improve the health of our nation.”

Curley, who was honored by UMSON as a visionary pioneer in 2015, has transformed the Jonas Center’s profile and impact from a local New York funder to a national thought leader and grant maker for all 50 states. She has forged partnerships with leading philanthropic, academic, and health care organizations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, John A. Hartford Foundation, Bob Woodruff Foundation, Hearst Publishing Foundation, and the Veterans Administration. Curley has doubled grant dollars available through leveraged funds, matching funds, and innovative fundraising. She is currently leading an effort to support 1,000 doctoral students in all 50 states to address the critical shortage of nurses and nursing faculty.

“We are thrilled to receive this generous gift from the Jonas Center honoring Darlene Curley,” said UMSON Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Through its visionary philanthropy and the leadership of Ms. Curley, the Jonas Center is supporting the development of nurse leaders who will be well equipped to address the current and future challenges of our health care system. The Darlene J. Curley Scholarship will provide important additional resources for nurses pursuing doctoral degrees.”

Established in 2006, the Jonas Center deploys philanthropy to advance the nursing profession through grants and programs designed to develop outstanding faculty, advance scholarship, and spark innovative practice.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top 10 nursing schools in the United States. Enrolling more than 1,800 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.