The University of Washington’s School of Nursing received a $10 million donation from former chemistry professor Larry R. Dalton and his wife, Nicole A. Boand, the school announced last week.
The $10 million is the largest donation the School of Nursing has ever received, UW spokesperson Jackson Holtz said in an email. The donation will be split into two parts, with $8 million going to cost-of-attendance scholarships and $2 million aimed at expanding clinical education. The scholarship and expanded clinical education programs will be named in honor of Boand, according to a news release .
Dalton taught chemistry at UW from 1998 to 2011. He also started Lumera to make technology based on his research, which eventually was sold and merged with another company. The couple said investing in nursing is an important part of ensuring quality care for all.
For Boand, a former registered nurse, the cause hits home. “I find this critically important,” Boand said. “We definitely need trained, clinically trained, nurses available to us for all of us.
” Currently, there is a national registered nursing shortage, according to a report from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Dalton cited the COVID pandemic as exacerbating the need for nurses. He said the job is demanding and wants to do what he can to increase retention in the field. “[The scholarship is] to increase access by individuals without private wealth to the nursing profession,” Dalton said.
Dalton said h.