The Butterfield Memorial Foundation

The Butterfield Memorial Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to East Texas Baptist University

East Texas Baptist University nursing professors (left to right) Leslie Borcherding, Connie Wyszynski, Martha Dudley, and Shirley Ballard proudly display a large check from the Butterfield Memorial Foundation.  The Butterfield Memorial Foundation awarded the ETBU Department of Nursing a $50,000 grant to fund scholarships for students. The check was presented during the ETBU Fall Faculty Meeting held on Wednesday, August 17.

MARSHALL, Texas (8/17/11)

The Butterfield Memorial Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to East Texas Baptist University. The grant from the Christian charitable foundation serving community health needs will fund scholarships for students in the Frank S. Groner Endowed Memorial School of Professional Studies Department of Nursing. The grant will benefit many professional nursing students over the next two academic years. "We are so grateful for the type of funding afforded through the Butterfield Foundation because it allows us to directly impact student success. These monies target students enrolled in upper level nursing courses and provide additional support to encourage retention through to graduation," said ETBU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Sherilyn Emberton. The Butterfield Memorial Foundation awarded ETBU’s professional nursing program the grant because the institution integrates Christian faith into the nursing curriculum, the demographics of the nursing student population, and overall evidence of success of the program in terms of recruitment, graduation rate, and certification rate. ETBU’s program has maintained a nursing licensure pass rate of 100% for the past three years, and over 90% of ETBU nursing graduates secure employment before graduation. ETBU nursing students who demonstrate a strong commitment to the Christian faith and see nursing as a means to use their gifts and skills as a ministry are eligible for Butterfield Memorial Foundation scholarships. Catherine Crawford, ETBU Vice President for University Advancement said, “Butterfield Foundation’s commitment to Christian universities is a vital part of their mission. They not only recognize the shortage of nurses within the medical community but seek organizations who integrate Christian faith and learning into their program curriculum. This is exactly who we are at East Texas Baptist University.” The Butterfield Memorial Foundation is a mission affiliated with the Free Methodist Church of North America. The Oklahoma City-based foundation also supports the Open Arms Clinic, an indigent care facility, and Deaconess Pregnancy and Adoption Services.