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A major gift from the Asbury Foundation will help ensure that William Carey University’s College of Health Sciences can attract and retain high-quality faculty members to train the next generation of health care professionals.
“The Asbury Foundation has taken the unprecedented step of awarding a $7 million grant that will enable us to provide faculty salaries that are more equitable when compared to the salaries of health care providers in clinical areas, like hospitals and clinics,” said Dr. Janet Williams, WCU vice president of health sciences.
“This wonderful gift, given in the form of trust funds, allows us to make immediate salary adjustments and then sustain them over time through earned interest.”
The grant has already produced positive results.
WCU’s nursing program was able to hire several new faculty members soon after the grant was received. Williams said this made it possible to launch an LPN Advanced Placement program for the fall 2023 trimester – resulting in an immediate enrollment increase of 102 students over the previous year. There are plans for another new nursing program in spring 2024.
“This increase in enrollment will place more nurses at bedsides in our communities. The grant is a phenomenal example of the Asbury Foundation’s willingness to act to change health care in our area,” said WCU President Dr. Ben Burnett.
Dr. William Ray is the Asbury Foundation’s president and chief executive officer.
“We just want to be a small part of providing more well-trained health care professionals in southern Mississippi,” Ray said.
Established in the 1984, the Asbury Foundation awards grants to non-profit community organizations that offer education and health initiatives to improve the quality of life in Forrest, Lamar, Jones, Marion, Covington, Perry, Pearl River and Jefferson Davis counties.
The Asbury Foundation has awarded a $7 million grant to the WCU College of Health Sciences. Pictured from left are: Dr. William Ray, president and CEO of the Asbury Foundation; Dr. Janet Williams, WCU vice president of health sciences; and WCU President Dr. Ben Burnett.
