Nursing receives $5 million gift

Bob and Jean Reid of Bellingham have made a $5 million donation to the UW School of Nursing - the largest gift in the school’s history.

The Reids, UW graduates and long-time UW benefactors, singled out the School of Nursing for this major award as a tribute to the excellent nursing care each of them has experienced.

The Reids lived in Bellevue from 1947 to 1988. Bob Reid started and operated Reid Sand & Gravel for many years.

The Robert and Jean Reid Endowed Fund will provide full scholarships for undergraduate and graduate nursing students who otherwise would not be able to afford a nursing education. The gift comes at a critical time, says Dean of Nursing Nancy Fugate Woods.

“This year, the school increased its undergraduate admissions and expanded its graduate program in response to the local and national nursing shortages. A gift on the scale of the Reids’ will be truly transformative. Not only will the endowment provide opportunities for more students to pursue nursing careers, it will ultimately make a tremendous difference in the communities these students will one day serve,” says Woods.

“Nurses deal with the human response to illness at every stage of life. It is their ability to experience and effectively communicate empathy to people that is a primary admissions criterion for the bachelor of science in nursing degree,” she says.

Jean Reid notes that she and her husband have always been “impressed with the devotion nurses have to their profession.” Both the Reids have required hospitalization in recent years. They understand that without financial assistance, many bright, talented, and personally committed individuals - such as those who provided their own care - would be unable to pursue their dreams of a career in nursing.

Aida Jenkins is typical of the school’s current scholarship recipients. “We spend long hours in class, the lab, and in the clinical setting,” says the 28-year-old undergraduate. “Financial support allows me to work just 16 hours a week, which gives me time to focus on my child and on my education.” Jenkins plans to become a nurse practitioner and work with older adults.

Jean Reid recently observed some of the teaching strategies that have contributed to the UW School of Nursing’s number one ranking in the country for the past 14 years. “The specialized training in the school’s learning labs is not unlike a real hospital where teams of nurses care for patients,” she observes.

“Clearly,” she says, “there is important work taking place here.”

Jeanette Ruby