Nursing Alum Schoenholz Supports ABSN Financial Aid

When Susan Schoenholz, BSN'73 and her husband, David, T'73, decided recently to become $1 million donors to Duke University's Financial Aid Initiative, Susan showed her support for the School of Nursing by designating $250,000 of the gift for students in the Accelerated Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree program.

“I know how valuable the baccalaureate education I received was, and the opportunities it created for me,” says Schoenholz. “Even though this program is very different from the program that I was a part of, I believe its graduates will be equipped with the problem solving and critical thinking skills they will need to succeed in a complex and changing field of nursing.”

The Schoenholz gift will be matched by the Duke University Financial Aid Initiative for a total of $500,000 for ABSN student scholarships.

“We are very grateful to Susan and David for their support for both nursing and arts and sciences education at Duke,” said Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead. “The ABSN program has been a great success, and its graduates are filling an important need at Duke and nationally. It's wonderful to have the support of nursing alumni.”

Schoenholz had a 20-year career in nursing, including work as a clinical specialist in education at Harvard University's Joslin Diabetes Center and as a clinical specialist in diabetes and pregnancy at Northwestern University. She later received a master's degree and worked as director of nursing at a home health agency before retiring.