June 29, 2012
The Shawnee State University Development Foundation has received gifts from the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association to establish a scholarship in honor of its president Virginia "Ginnie" Wagner, a 1955 graduate of Portsmouth High School and a graduate of Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in 1959.
The Ginnie Wagner-Mercy Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae scholarship is available to Portsmouth High School graduates who go into the nursing program at Shawnee State University. The Mercy School of Nursing began in 1922 and closed in 1963, graduating 378 women in the program. Wagner was a nurse for 42 years and she is considered the "glue that holds the group together."
The Shawnee State University Development Foundation will award the scholarship beginning with academic year 2012-2013.
Students must be graduates of PHS, achieve a 3.0 grade point average or better, and plan to attend the nursing program at SSU.
"We are grateful for the opportunities the Wagner-Mercy Nursing fund presents and it's special to see this connection between the Mercy nursing tradition and the outstanding nursing programs at SSU," said Eric Braun, director of the SSU Development Foundation.
Individuals or organizations interested in establishing a scholarship can learn more by contacting the SSU Development Foundation at (740) 351-3284 or online at http://giveto.shawnee.edu.