Ursuline College in Pepper Pike recently announced that Trustee Jeanne Colleran and her husband, Richard M. Weaver, have made a $500,000 commitment to the college.
Their gift will support the remodeling of facilities for the new Physician Assistant Program and the development of other health care initiatives, according to a news release.
“We’re grateful to the Weavers for their generous endorsement of our work to meet Cleveland’s growing demand for healthcare professionals,” college President Sister Christine De Vinne stated in the release.
“Their gift enables us to build on the success of our undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and create multiple career paths for our students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college and remain in the area to work with underserved populations after they graduate,” she added.
In January, the college welcomed its inaugural class of 30 PA students and anticipates another 30 students enrolling in the 24-month program next year. A portion of the gift will be used to create a state-of-the-art classroom and simulation laboratory to accommodate the 60 students while also supporting the needs of the college’s growing repertoire of healthcare degree offerings.
This coming fall Ursuline will launch new programs in respiratory care and nutrition.
“We’re also adding a part-time option to our nursing bachelor’s degree called SDAP — Second Degree Accelerated Program — for people who already have an undergraduate degree in a variety of fields but now want to become a nurse,” De Vinne stated in the release. “This work-friendly, 24-month pathway eliminates one of the obstacles that people often face when they hoped to change careers — supporting themselves and their families while seeking more education.”
Jeanne Colleran notes that the Cleveland Heights couple were drawn to the college’s 75-year history of outstanding healthcare education and its ability to support first-generation students.
“We were so impressed when Ursuline College was named in the American Enterprise Institute’s 2020 report highlighted in Forbes Magazine as the #1 college in the nation [out of 1100 schools] for increasing the social mobility of low-income, first-generation students,” Colleran stated in the release.
“Richard and I wanted to recognize this accomplishment and honor the college’s reputation in healthcare leadership,” she added.
Colleran joined the Board of Trustees in 2019 and will chair its Development Committee, effective July 1. She is a retired provost and professor emerita of John Carroll University.
More recently, she was on staff at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, developing its Rule of Law Institute. Richard M. Weaver, is an attorney and retired executive with The Sherwin-Williams Company.
The classroom and lab renovations begin in May with an expected completion by December, the release stated.
