Harper Nursing Scholars Program attracts top undergraduate nursing students
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When Creighton and College of Nursing leadership began crafting the prestigious new Harper Nursing Scholars Program with the help of a $5.2 million gift from the Harper Family Foundation, they aimed high. The college wanted to attract outstanding students who were eager to excel as nurse leaders—and who embraced Jesuit values of compassion and service.
Creighton started with a generous $40,000 annual scholarship, but that was only the beginning, says Anne Harty, BSN’97, MS’00, EdD’19, RN, FNP, Harper Nursing Scholars Program director. Students accepted to the program would also participate in intentional activities to meet program objectives, such as a community health rotation at the ILAC campus in the Dominican Republic, an overnight leadership retreat and a legislative workshop at the Nebraska State Capitol to learn principles of advocacy. They would also have access to meaningful research opportunities.
“This is not just about a scholarship,” says Harty, noting that the program, which will ultimately support a total of 30 students, will form and educate compassionate and ethical practitioners, innovative scholars and confident advocates. "This program is about authentic leadership formation grounded in the Jesuit tradition.”
With stringent academic qualifications and an essay requirement, Harty anticipated that about 50 applicants might meet the benchmarks for the eight scholarships offered this past year. Instead, more than 160 met those requirements.
This is not just about a scholarship. This program is about authentic leadership formation grounded in the Jesuit tradition.
— Anne Harty, EdD’19, RN, FNP
Harty and her team extended interview invitations to each prospective student, conducting in-person and Zoom interviews. It was a chance for students to share what they could offer, but also an opportunity for them to learn what makes Creighton truly Creighton—a nurturing community where students flourish in their ability to reflect, grow and act. “Even if they didn’t get the scholarship, I wanted to let them know that they belonged here at Creighton,” she says. In addition to the eight students who received the scholarship, 71 additional students who completed the interviews enrolled at Creighton.
For Harty, it’s that number—the nearly 80 high-achieving students who found Creighton, saw alignment with their own goals and values and applied and enrolled in the program—that is one of the most powerful aspects of the Harper Nursing Scholars Program. “There may have been people in that group who were undecided about attending Creighton,” she says. “But when we met with them and went through the interview process, they realized Creighton was for them. That’s where the magic was.”
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Inaugural class of Harper Scholars
