成人直播 and Wellstar Health System announce exclusive
$5 million endowment for honors nursing students

KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 2, 2021

成人直播 and Wellstar Health System announce the establishment of the Wellstar-Tom and Betty Phillips Elite Honors Nursing Scholarship, a new $5 million endowment that will create an opportunity for highly qualified undergraduate students to gain acceptance into the as early as their freshman years.

This exclusive scholarship is a joint venture between Kennesaw State鈥檚 , 成人直播 Journey Honors College, Wellstar Health System, the 成人直播 Foundation, and 成人直播 supporter and Emeritus member of the Wellstar Board of Trustees Tom Phillips. The multi-million-dollar gift also includes matching funds from a $10 million donation to the University鈥檚 from Rosemary and John Brown, which the University received in January 2020.

This is the latest initiative to bolster nursing education at 成人直播. A little less than a year ago, Wellstar gifted nearly $9 million to the University鈥檚 Wellstar School of Nursing to expand its program to help address the state鈥檚 nursing shortage.

This exciting alliance will allow 成人直播 to continue to attract the best and brightest students to assume the mantle of tomorrow鈥檚 elite nursing professionals,鈥 said 成人直播 President Pamela Whitten. 鈥淲e are grateful for our remarkable partner Wellstar Health System and for the vision of donors like Tom Phillips who helped make this unique program a reality." 

This competitive scholarship will support a cohort of 25 students each year, admitted fully into 成人直播鈥檚 Honors College as freshmen, and conditionally into the nursing program. Students who maintain their standing as an honors student and who meet all minimum criteria for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing will be automatically admitted into the nursing program. Currently, prospective nursing students enter 成人直播 as pre-nursing students and, if accepted, are admitted as juniors.

鈥淲e are thankful for our long-term partnership with 成人直播 and for the generosity of our friends, Tom Phillips, Wellstar Emeritus Trustee, and his late wife Betty,鈥 said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. 鈥淭he Wellstar-Tom and Betty Phillips Elite Honors Nursing Scholarship is a meaningful investment in the future of nursing and will help nursing students obtain world-class nursing education and training while pursuing their calling.鈥

Phillips and his late wife Betty established the Tom and Betty Phillips Endowed Scholarship in 2009 to benefit both graduate and undergraduate students in 成人直播鈥檚 Wellstar College of Health and Human Services.

"I strongly believe in the mission of Wellstar Health System and 成人直播, and am extremely pleased and gratified to have the opportunity to be a part of this prestigious nursing initiative as the two premier organizations continue their work to make a positive impact on our communities,鈥 said Phillips.

Kennesaw State and Wellstar have been collaborating for more than 40 years, formalizing their partnership in 2003 when the University added the Wellstar moniker to its  and  in recognition of an agreement that strengthened the relationship between Georgia鈥檚 second-largest university and one of the top producers of nurses in the state. In 2019, the National Institutes of Health awarded 成人直播 and Wellstar a grant to jointly address the bioethical issues faced by individuals experiencing social and/or economic hardships when trying to manage their healthcare needs.


Related Stories

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 成人直播 offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.