The new funds have been established to assist nursing students and to enhance student leadership opportunities.
Three new endowed funds were recently established at Columbia State Community College. These funds were established to assist nursing students and to enhance student leadership opportunities. The new funds include the Allison Dean Love and Amelia P. Dean Nursing Licensure Support Endowed Grant, the Allison Dean Love Leadership Development Endowed Fund, and the Mary Alyson Carter Nursing Scholarship.
According to an article on Columbia State Community College’s website that discusses the endowments from Allison Dean Love, Dr. Janet F. Smith, the college’s president, was quoted as saying, “Allison's generosity reflects a sincere commitment to helping others succeed. Through these funds, nursing students will receive support as they complete their journey to professional licensure, and future leaders will gain opportunities to develop skills that strengthen their careers, organizations and communities. Her gift embodies the spirit of service and creates a lasting legacy that will benefit Columbia State students for years to come.”
Allison Dean Love is a Columbia State Community College alumna. She attended the college from 1982 to 1984, and she went on to hold many leadership positions throughout her career.
The Allison Dean Love and Amelia P. Dean Nursing Licensure Support Endowed Grant was established by Love in honor of her mother, Amelia P. Dean, who was also a graduate of Columbia State Community College. The grant will support nursing students as they complete their professional credentialing requirements, providing assistance to individuals who may face financial challenges in paying for these fees. In order to be eligible, students must be enrolled at Columbia State and prepared to submit their Tennessee Board of Nursing application or sit for the NCLEX examination.
The Allison Dean Love Leadership Development Endowed Fund was established to enhance student experience in the President's Leadership Society. It will help students participate in experiences that will help them grow their leadership skills and connect with community leaders.
Bethany Lay, vice president for Advancement and executive director of the Columbia State Foundation, said, “We are very appreciative of Allison's intentionality in establishing funds that provide targeted resources for achieving academic success.”
In a separate article on Columbia State Community College’s website that discusses the Mary Alyson Carter Nursing Scholarship, Lay noted, “It is a meaningful full-circle story: Mary Alyson benefited from the support she received at Columbia State, and today, future students will benefit from the success she has achieved. We appreciate her family honoring her with this endowed scholarship.”
The Mary Alyson Carter Nursing Scholarship was established by Patrick M. Carter in honor of his wife, Mary Alyson. Mary Alyson attended Columbia State Community College as a nontraditional student while a young single mother, and the scholarship has been endowed to support other nontraditional nursing students.
Mary Alyson faced significant challenges on her journey, including recovering from alcoholism. She overcame these challenges and after graduating from Columbia State, she attended Lipscomb University and then Vanderbilt University. She became a nurse practitioner.
The scholarship will support other nontraditional nursing students so they can also have the opportunity to succeed following challenges in their own lives.
For more information about Columbia State Community College, visit the school’s website.