SEATTLE — The University of Washington’s School of Nursing received a $10 million donation from former chemistry professor Larry R. Dalton and his wife, Nicole A. Boand, the school announced last week.
The $10 million is the largest donation the School of Nursing has ever received, UW spokesperson Jackson Holtz said in an email.
The donation will be split into two parts, with $8 million going to cost-of-attendance scholarships and $2 million aimed at expanding clinical education. The scholarship and expanded clinical education programs will be named in honor of Boand, according to a news release.
Dalton taught chemistry at UW from 1998 to 2011. He also started Lumera to make technology based on his research, which eventually was sold and merged with another company.
The couple said investing in nursing is an important part of ensuring quality care for all. For Boand, a former registered nurse, the cause hits home.
“I find this critically important,” Boand said. “We definitely need trained, clinically trained, nurses available to us for all of us.”
Currently, there is a national registered nursing shortage, according to a report from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing,
Dalton cited the COVID pandemic as exacerbating the need for nurses. He said the job is demanding and wants to do what he can to increase retention in the field.
“[The scholarship is] to increase access by individuals without private wealth to the nursing profession,” Dalton said.
Dalton said he and his wife were able to fund the donation through their careers and “good investments” they made.
Allison Webel, interim executive dean of the School of Nursing, said the donation will greatly help the program and hopes to use the funds to increase student diversity and further practical training.
“I cannot emphasize enough the impact this bequest will have,” she said in the release. “It will truly open doors for diverse, innovative students who may not have previously seen a nursing career as a possibility, and uniquely prepare them to meet the needs of Washington’s patient population.”
The couple previously donated millions to the university, including $12 million in 2017 to the Department of Chemistry.
