Rutgers School of Nursing Magazine - Summer 2026

14 RUTGERS NURSING • SUMMER 2026 D O N O R I MPA CT Supporting Students Through Emergencies New and longstanding resources help nursing students manage financial hardship and unexpected challenges as they pursue their degrees. I magine you’re a nursing student living at home because you can’t afford on-campus housing. Now imagine a house fire leaves you without a place to stay—and amid the chaos, you’re struggling to keep up with your studies. That was the reality for a Rutgers School of Nursing undergraduate before she became one of the first beneficiaries of the Joanne Barkett Conway Fund. Through the fund, which provides emergency support to students facing urgent, unexpected needs, the school was able to secure on-campus housing, cover transpor- tation to clinical placements, and replace school-related items lost in the fire. Established in spring 2025, the Joanne Barkett Conway Fund is part of a $1 million gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation–DAF, founded by William “Bill” Conway Jr. and his late wife, Joanne. The gift includes $100,000 for the emergency fund and $900,000 to establish the Joanne and William Con- way Nursing Scholarship. “When we support students who want to get a nursing degree, we enable them to support themselves, their families, and ultimately the rest of us,” says Conway. “These resources promote academic continuity and allow our students to focus more on their coursework and training while reducing financial stress,” says Bernadette McGeever, the school’s director of development. Some of the money from the Joanne Barkett Conway Fund will also be used to acquire nursing-specific items that often need replacing, such as clinical