Amid the nation’s urgent need for qualified nurses to join the healthcare workforce, generous scholarship support by longtime St. Louisans Robert and Joan Luttig Schoor for Maryville University’s Catherine McAuley School of Nursing is timely and consequential. In honor of their commitment, Maryville has named The Robert E. Schoor and Joan Luttig Schoor Undergraduate Nursing Program.
“The Schoors are an example of how the combination of passion for education and great healthcare creates the vision and courage to make good things happen,” said Mark Lombardi, PhD, president of Maryville University.
The alarm regarding the U.S. nursing shortage is well-founded. Over the next 30 years, the number of people ages 65 and older is expected to reach nearly 84 million—double the number of the older adult population in 2012—which means an increased need for geriatric healthcare, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.
The federal government also projects the total number of job openings for nurses due to growth and replacements will exceed one million over the next six years.
“Through the Schoors’ generosity we will be able to educate the next generation of outstanding nurses,” said Charles J. Gulas, PhD, dean of the Walker College of Health Professions. “The Schoors will enable talented students for years to come to pursue a Maryville nursing education.”