UF Alumna Gives Half Million to Nursing Scholarships

The University of Findlay celebrated a $500,000 commitment from alumna Faye Newman to support scholarships for students in the University’s Nursing Program with a ceremony held in the Davis Street Building on Friday, March 24. Newman, who graduated from then Findlay College in 1970, served as a registered nurse for 50 years in different capacities and venues. She sees this commitment as a way to show future nurses that others care about their education.
“Faye’s passion for nursing is contagious,” said University President Katherine Fell, Ph.D. “Her support will help give students in the nursing program the encouragement they need to become excellent caregivers to their patients.”
After learning how the nursing program has grown and changed since her time at Findlay, Newman wanted to be involved in making sure that nursing students have the training and support they need to succeed.
“I always enjoyed nursing so much, and I thought it was important to help others go into nursing. I want them to know that other people care and are pleased to know that they’re interested in nursing,” said Newman. Her gift will create the H. Faye Newman ’70 Nursing Scholarship Fund supporting multiple students in the program beginning this fall as they develop a passion for an ever-evolving profession.
As she learned about Findlay’s program, Newman could see how much nursing, and especially how nursing is taught, has changed. She described her experience when visiting the nursing lab after making a previous separate gift to purchase new equipment: “I was looking for something standing on the floor,” she said of the new 12 Lead ECG machine, also known as an electrocardiogram or EKG machine. “They could do so much with that little box, including take the pulse in different areas of the body. The changes that have occurred are amazing,” she noted. This previous gift also supported the purchase of a crash cart and Noelle, a pregnant manikin that delivers a baby.
By continuing to support University of Findlay nursing students, Newman hopes to continue to nurture a profession she sees as a vital to patient treatment. “Sometimes I don’t think nurses get the credit they deserve,” she said. “There are so many parts of a patient’s care, and I think nursing is at the top of the list.”
Before completing her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing arts at Findlay, Newman completed a three-year diploma program at Toledo Hospital School of Nursing in 1954. She went on to work as an instructor at the school, as a supervisor at Mercy Hospital and as head nurse at Riverside Hospital in Toledo. She retired from the profession after also serving at several hospitals and practices in Greenville, South Carolina. With all her experience in the field, Newman recognizes the importance of proper nurse training and education.
“If nurses aren’t trained and educated properly, the patient may not recover as well,” she said. “Nurses are there for the patients to reinforce what the doctor told them and the things they can do to help themselves get well. Nursing is one of the most important professions that a woman or a man can do because they’re helping people all the time.”

---