Greenfield Community College's Jean Simmons Nursing Endowed Chair Fund is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for nursing students as they progress to advanced education in nursing. The endowment funds annual scholarships to support seamless education progression in nursing with awards available to study in GCC's Practical Nursing Certificate Program and Associate Degree Nursing Program, as well as for GCC graduates pursuing Bachelor's Degrees in Nursing. The scholarships are named for long-time GCC nurse educator Jean Simmons, GCC Class of 1965. In June 2013, Anonymous donors established the Greenfield Community College Jean Simmons Nursing Endowed Chair Fund to honor Simmons, create an endowed faculty chair in Nursing, and provide scholarships to GCC nursing students. This will be the third year the scholarships will be awarded. Twenty-five scholarships have been awarded to date and 22 will be awarded this year.

GCC's Practical Nursing Certificate Program and Associate Degree Nursing Program are coordinated to allow students to progress from one level to the next level. These scholarships encourage those interested in nursing careers to continue their education to higher levels of practice.

Individuals eligible for these scholarships are:

• Certified Nursing Assistants/Home Health Aides who have been accepted and/or enrolled in the GCC Practical Nursing Certificate Program;
• Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurses or recent graduates of a Practical/Vocational Nursing program and have been accepted and enrolled in the GCC Associate Degree Nursing Program;
• Registered Nurses who are graduates of the GCC AD Nursing Program and have been accepted and enrolled in an accredited RN to BSN Program.

The scholarships will be awarded to selected individuals who complete the application requirements and are selected by the scholarship committee. The scholarships will be paid directly to the educational institution the student is enrolled. Scholarship money is not directly awarded to the student.

            Deadlines are as follows:

• Certified Nursing Assistants/Home Health Aides - Deadline:   12/19/2016
• Licensed Practical or Vocational Nurses - Deadline:  2/1/2017 OR 9/1/2017
• Registered Nurses who are graduates of the GCC ADN Program AND 2^nd year GCC ADN students - Deadline: 5/1/2017

Regina Curtis, Executive Director of the GCC Foundation, said, "The scholarships underscore the importance of the GCC Nursing Program in our community. These donors understand that the College's respected 50-year history of providing well-trained, highly-skilled nurses to the region's hospitals, physician practices, and long-term care facilities supports the entire health care infrastructure of the region. The donors realize what the College needs to support GCC students working to obtain the Associate Degree in Nursing so they in turn can support the entire community's health care needs for decades to come."

Nancy Craig-Williams, GCC's Assistant Dean, Nursing, said, "These scholarships provide a concrete way for the College to encourage nursing students to pursue higher levels of education. There is a strong need for advanced nursing education to support improved healthcare for our community."

Jean Simmons grew up in Florence, and graduated from Northampton High School in 1963. She was the first nursing program applicant to be admitted as a GCC nursing student and she graduated with the first class from the program. As well as working as a nurse in the community, Simmons taught in GCC's Nursing program in 1968 and from 1974 to 2003 and served as Coordinator of the Associate in Science Nursing Program from 1998 to 2003. Simmons is now a Professor Emeritus.

For more information, about the scholarships, please contact Melissa Davis, AD Nursing Program Assistant at 413-775-1753, or Nancy Craig-Williams, Assistant Dean at 413-775-1758, .

By Mary McClintock, ‘82

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