University Hospital and UC College of Nursing Award Scholarships

CINCINNATI—University Hospital and the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Nursing will award scholarships to two minority students at a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 28, in the hospital’s main lobby.

Each year, University Hospital presents scholarships to minority students who are pursuing their nursing education at the UC College of Nursing.

This year’s recipients are Traci Irving, a Shroder Paideia Academy graduate, and Amber Nixon, who graduated from Gilbert A. Dater High School.

Irving will receive $40,000 over four years, funded by University Hospital. She graduated in the 91^st percentile in her class and was an active member of her high school’s community service and Spanish clubs, captain of her cheerleading squad and a member of the school choir. She volunteers at Good Samaritan Hospital. Her goal is to become a neonatal nurse.

Nixon, who plans on becoming a pediatric nurse, will receive $10,000 over four years, funded by University Hospital and UC College of Nursing. In high school, she was active in Psi Eta Sigma and the school step team. She assisted in a toy drive for Hurricane Katrina victims and currently volunteers for Tender Mercies.

Founded in 1889, the College of Nursing was the first school in the country to offer a baccalaureate program in nursing and received the first endowment ever given to a nursing program. In 2002 the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited the college for a 10-year period, distinguishing it with 71 years of continuous accreditation. The College of Nursing currently has over 1,000 students, including undergraduate, graduate and PhD candidates, making it the 12^th largest nursing school in the United States in terms of student and faculty, according to U.S.News & World Report. The college is also in the top 6 percent in research funding.

University Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health-care delivery system that also includes Christ, St. Luke, Jewish and Fort Hamilton hospitals and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care.