Bill Gross, and his wife, Sue, have committed an additional $500,000 to eligible Charles R. Drew University’s Mervyn M. Dymally School of Nursing students. The contribution increases The Sue and Bill Gross Nursing Endowment to $2 Million. Last year, their initial $1.5 million gift was the largest individual contribution awarded to the University’s Nursing School since its opening in August 2010.
“The Mervyn M. Dymally School of Nursing produces graduates that are compassionate and dedicated to providing health care where it is needed most in Los Angeles,” said Sue Gross. “After the incredible commitment and stories of selflessness from applicants in the first year, we decided to increase our donation. We hope the Endowment continues to make a difference in the lives of these students and to inspire a new generation of leaders in nursing.”
Recipients of this Endowment, known as Sue and Bill Gross Nursing Scholars, demonstrate financial need and live in Service Planning Area 6 (Athens, Compton, Crenshaw, Florence, Hyde Park, Lynwood, Paramount and Watts). The first Scholars were awarded in Summer 2015, and included three students pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing:
- Scholar Menjivar— A son of immigrants from El Salvador, a first-generation college graduate, and a proud father of two, Menjivar plans to work in an underserved community of Los Angeles promoting health and the prevention of chronic diseases.
- Scholar Sanchez— A devoted volunteer, Sanchez is working to reduce health disparities and address issues of health care access for underserved communities at home and abroad.
- Scholar Hankerson— A single grandmother and dedicated health care professional, Hankerson is motivated to provide the level of care and compassion she received in her own experiences.
“We are very grateful for the continued generosity and support of the Gross family in providing additional scholarship funds for our nursing students here in the Mervyn M. Dymally School of Nursing. Gifts such as this one allow us to support the education of future nurses who are focused on working to help eliminate health care disparities in historically underserved populations. We look forward to many more years of Sue and Bill Gross Nursing Scholars in our program,” said Dr. Sheldon Fields, Dean of the CDU School of Nursing.
“The remarkable generosity of Sue and Bill Gross has already impacted the lives of students and will only continue to enable more of our graduates to provide culturally sensitive health care with excellence and compassion” said Dr. David M. Carlisle, President of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
