AT&T Foundation Grants
Hunt School of Nursing students are more likely to be nontraditional, first-generation college students in need of significant financial assistance to complete their degrees.
AT&T Foundation Awards Grant to Hunt School of Nursing for Scholarships
The AT&T Foundation recently awarded the Hunt School of Nursing a grant of $25,000 to support scholarships for underrepresented nursing students enrolled in the school’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (ABSN).
This year, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Hunt School of Nursing, concluding with Cirque de Corázon on May 6, 2022. The event is a celebration of the school’s contributions to higher education, health care in the Paso del Norte region and combating the critical shortage of nurses in West Texas.
As part of the 10-year anniversary, TTUHSC El Paso is raising funds for nursing student scholarships. These students are more likely to be nontraditional, first-generation college students in need of significant financial assistance to complete their degrees.
“Support from the AT&T Foundation will extend a lifeline to deserving students enrolled in the ABSN program,” said Hunt School of Nursing Dean Stephanie Woods, Ph.D., R.N. “Because the ABSN has a rigorous curriculum and is only 16 months long, it’s important for students to focus on their studies and not have to work outside of their clinical training.”
Education at the Hunt School of Nursing transforms the lives of students and the future of their families by providing careers in high-demand jobs that raise students to a lifelong, high-income earning trajectory. Currently, 87% of students from the Hunt School of Nursing are El Paso natives, fulfilling TTUHSC El Paso’s mission to create more educational opportunities for Borderland residents. Ten years ago, El Paso County faced a 40% shortage of nurses when compared to the national average. Today, and following the opening of the Hunt School of Nursing, the shortage has been reduced to 20%.
“The need for additional medical personnel has never been greater,” said Carlos Martinez, director at AT&T Texas. “AT&T is proud to support the Hunt School of Nursing and its efforts to train the future health care heroes of El Paso and Texas.”
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact across the nation and in the Borderland has highlighted the critical need for nurses. As variants of the virus cause significant surges, nurses are needed now more than ever to care for patients in overwhelmed hospitals and ease burnout among health care workers.
About Philanthropy and Social Innovation at AT&T
AT&T is committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities and improving lives. As part of their company-wide $2 billion commitment from 2021-2024 to address the digital divide, they launched AT&T Connected Learning to invest in connectivity, technology, digital literacy and education solutions to help today’s learners succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Since 2008, AT&T has committed more than $600 million to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.
About TTUHSC El Paso
TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It is one of only two health sciences centers in the nation designated as Title V Hispanic-Serving Institutions, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic.