Reebles give $50,000 to ESU nursing, Presidential Academic Awards

EMPORIA – Students at Emporia State University will have access to more scholarship money after a $50,000 gift from Emporia entrepreneurs Barney and Jane Reeble.

The couple recently donated $25,000 to the nursing program and another $25,000 to the Presidential Academic Awards program after the ESU Foundation called on the community to support unrestricted scholarship funds.

"We always give to education," said Jane Reeble. "The last couple of years, Barney has been in and out of the hospital. We've learned just how important good nurses are, and how lucky we are to have a nursing [program] here in Emporia."

Judith Calhoun, chair of the ESU department of nursing, said that it is rewarding when people recognize the difference nurses make in the quality of overall patient care.

At first, the Reebles thought about establishing guidelines for a specific scholarship.

"But then Barney said, 'You just use it however you think best,'" Calhoun said.

According to Calhoun, the $25,000 gift from the Reebles will allow the nursing department to lighten some of the financial burden nursing students face. "It is wonderful to have that kind of flexibility. ESU offers an excellent educational value, but nursing is an expensive profession. In addition to the tuition and fees all ESU students pay, nursing students are required to buy uniforms, equipment and personal medical insurance."

"When our students aren't in class or participating in clinicals, many of them have to work to make ends meet," she said.

The $25,000 for Presidential Academic Awards will support first-time full-time freshmen and new transfer students based on ACT scores and academic performance. While some PAAs are funded through endowed funds, most PAAs are funded through unrestricted gifts and annual gifts to the PAA scholarship program.

Long-time supporters of the Presidential Academic Awards scholarship program, the Reebles have contributed more than $135,000 since the program began a few years ago.

Last Updated July 2, 2007>