If you have questions about gifts to the Department of Health Professions, contact:
Liz Bereit
Office of Strategic Gifts, Development Officer
College of Health and Behavioral Studies
bereitea@jmu.edu
540.568.8814
Sonner Hall, MSC 4406
All contributions are tax deductible.
Program Funds
Donations to the Health Professions department are used to assist students with unique learning opportunities such as research projects for which they need supplies or equipment. Funds are also used to help students present their research at state, regional or national conferences. Donations help JMU students complete work that sets them apart from students enrolled in the programs of other colleges, making them more competitive for graduate school and future employment.
This fund provides support for the "Nancy Powell Hardaway Speakers Series," an opportunity to bring practitioners to JMU to interact with students in Dietetics.
The Athletic Training Program strives to provide students with opportunities that will enhance their classroom and clinical education by building leadership skills, helping them develop a global view of the Athletic Training profession, and promoting a desire to give back to the profession. Donations to the Athletic Training Program will help students participate in learning opportunities beyond the traditional academic setting such as supporting:
- participation in professional meetings (such as VATA, MAATA, or NATA)
- attendance at student-focused symposia (such as the VATA Student Symposium)
- travel and housing to special events such as Capitol Hill Day and event coverage of the Boston Marathon
The program needs the latest high-quality equipment to help students develop clinical skills. Donations to the Athletic Training Program may also be used to fund equipment purchases such as:
- patient simulators
- CPR manikins that allow advanced airway administration
- innovative rehabilitation equipment
The Health Services Administration Program welcomes contributions from donors to support a student scholarship program, student leadership awards, and student membership in, and attendance at annual meetings of the American College of Healthcare Executives and other national health administration professional associations.
Donations to the Dietetics Programs fund will help us support educational experiences outside the traditional classroom, including graduate and undergraduate research projects, travel to conferences to present research findings, specialized nutrient analysis programs, and other incidental expenses associated with the Dietetics Program.
The program needs a nutrition laboratory which will include equipment to run laboratory measures of nutritional status, private spaces to conduct nutrition focused physical examinations, and private rooms for counseling clients on dietary and lifestyle modifications needed to improve health. Donations to this fund may help support creation and furnishing of the nutrition laboratory.
This fund supports the the Occupational Therapy Program and includes such support as: professional development of students and faculty, increasing access to guest lectueres who are specialists in their practice area, holding events to connect with alumni and community partners, and providing access to state of the art instructional equiment and tools to promote the program's affectiveness and leadership in occupational therapy professional education.
This fund supports the work of the Occupational Therapy (OT) Clinic and its programs.
Donations to the PA Program will help us enhance student learning in the classroom and fund student research experiences. Funds are used for purchase of new equipment such as specialized simulation models, funding for student attendance at state and national conferences, and funding for student research projects.
Scholarship Funds
Dietetics Scholarships
This scholarship provides funds annually to support the dietetics major having the highest average at the end of seven semesters. This scholarship was established in honor of Minnie Christiansen and Margaret Miner. Neither of these women had much schooling, but both believed that education was the key to a better quality of life. They each had a child who became a Ph.D. and professor emeritus at a university.
This scholarship provides funds annually to support an outstanding student in Dietetics or another discipline within the Department of Health Sciences. The scholarship honors the memory Nannie Rudd Evans ('41) who served as a dietitian for the Army Medical Specialist Corps as a for thirty years for which she received many awards for her outstanding service. Upon retirement from the army, she inspected nursing homes in San Antonio with the Texas Department of Health for 12 years. Intention of this scholarship is to help students begin a lifetime of service like that of Nannie Rudd Evans.
This scholarship provides funds to support an outstanding student in Dietetics who has a demonstrated financial need. Juanita Fishback was a former faculty member in Home Economics at Madison College.
This scholarship provides support for an outstanding undergraduate students whose chosen field of study and research is Dietetics. Each year, scholarship funds are provided to one outstanding undergraduate student and these are renewable for up to four academic years. Martha Irvin is a 1956 Madison College graduate with a degree in Home Economics.
This scholarship provides support for an outstanding student majoring in Dietetics with preference to students from underrepresented groups or individuals with financial resource limiations. The scholarship honors Dr. Joanne M. Pearson, a faculty who contributed to the JMU dietetics program for 12 years.
This scholarship provides support for a senior majoring in dietetics who has a high GPA, is active in the dietetic club and has gained experience in various dietetics-related areas, either as a paid employee or as a volunteer. The scholarship was established in honor of Dr. Dorothy "Dot" M. Rowe.' Dorothy graduate from Madison College with a B.S. in Home Economics Education and Institution Management, earned her doctoral degree, and then returned to JMU to become Head of the Home Economics department. She has been very involved in the field of Dietetics during her professional career.
This scholarship provides support for a student from Rockingham or Fairfax Counties who enters the Department of Health Sciences, with preferences for students in the academic programs of Dietetics or Nutrition. Students may receive this scholarship throughout his/her JMU enrollment. This scholarship honors the Spitzer Family, and especially Margaret Spitzer ('37) Margaret graduated from Madison College, and two of her aunts, Nora and Lucy Spitzer, attended the Harrisonburg Normal School during the early years, around 1917. Margaret taught home economics in Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties and in South Norfolk and later moved to Fairfax to become school food services supervisor. Intention of this scholarship is to help students begin a lifetime of service like that of Margaret Spitzer.
This scholarship provides support for outstanding rising juniors in Dietetics who are from Virginia and have a demonstrated financial need. The scholarship honors Mary E. Massie Vetrovec ('67). Mary Vetrovec is a 1967 Madison College graduate with a degree in Home Economics.
Health Services Administration Scholarships
The Downey Family Scholarship Endowment in Health Services Administration will provide financial resources annually for one (or more) outstanding junior or senior student(s) majoring in Health Services Administration. William Downey is a 1980 graduate of the Health Services Administration program. He now serves and president and CEO of Riverside Health System.
Occupational Therapy Scholarships
This scholarship provides funds to recognize a current outstanding Occupational Therapy (OT) graduate student. This award is named in honor of Karina McMullan.
MSC 4315
235 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
