NURSING SCHOOL HONORS DONORS: During a recent unveiling ceremony, President Mark Lombardi, PhD, and Robert Schoor and Joan Lutting Schoor admire the hallway signage for Maryville's newly named undergraduate nursing program. In honor of the generous scholarship support provided by longtime St. Louisans Robert and Joan Luttig Schoor, 91制片厂 has named The Robert E. Schoor and Joan Luttig Schoor Undergraduate Nursing Program. Amid the nation鈥檚 urgent need for qualified nurses to join the healthcare workforce, their commitment to 91制片厂鈥檚 McAuley School of Nursing is timely and consequential.
鈥淭he Schoors are an example of how the combination of passion for education and great healthcare creates the vision and courage to make good things happen,鈥� said Mark Lombardi, PhD, president of 91制片厂.
The alarm regarding the U.S. nursing shortage is well-founded. Over the next 30 years, the number of people ages 65 and older is expected to reach nearly 84 million鈥攄ouble the number of the older adult population in 2012鈥攚hich means an increased need for geriatric healthcare, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. The federal government also projects the total number of job openings for nurses due to growth and replacements will exceed one million over the next six years.
鈥淭he Schoors are an example of how the combination of passion for education and great healthcare creates the vision and courage to make good things happen.鈥�
~ President Mark Lombardi, PhD
鈥淭hrough the Schoors鈥� generosity we will be able to educate the next generation of outstanding nurses,鈥� said Charles J. Gulas, PhD, dean of the Walker College of Health Professions. 鈥淭he Schoors will enable talented students for years to come to pursue a Maryville nursing education.鈥�
Over the past six years, the Schoors have donated to the building campaign for Walker Hall, home to Maryville鈥檚 College of Health Professions, and have provided scholarship support. In 2017, the couple announced a $20,000 matching gift to the University, with funds directed to Maryville鈥檚 Cyber Fusion Center, the Habitat for Humanity Fund and the Robert Schoor and Joan Luttig Schoor Annual Scholarship.
鈥淭he generosity of Robert and Joan Luttig Schoor means the world to the nursing students of the undergraduate program that now bears their names,鈥� said Geralyn Frandsen, EdD, RN, director of Maryville鈥檚 undergraduate nursing program. 鈥淭heir generosity will allow the delivery of high quality nursing care for many years to come.鈥�