Worcester State receives $1.24M from former Becker College

Photo | Grant Welker Worcester State University

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Worcester State University will establish two nursing endowment funds and a study abroad program following a $1.24-million gift from assets of the city’s former Becker College.

Worcester State will create the Becker Legacy Endowed Scholarship for Nursing Leadership, a permanent scholarship designated for the university’s nursing students. The school will also establish the Becker Legacy Endowment for Nursing Faculty Development, providing funding to Worcester State nursing faculty to pursue advanced degrees, according to an April 4 press release.

The university will begin to offer nursing students week-long international trips through establishing its Becker Legacy Study Abroad Program for Healthcare Leadership. The program will be supported by the school’s longstanding partnership Atlantic Technological University, located in Ireland.

"We are honored and thrilled to accept this transformational gift from Becker College,” Worcester State President Barry Maloney said in the release. "We are deeply grateful for Becker College’s generosity and commitment to outstanding nursing education, which is essential in our community. This gift will enable Worcester State to honor Becker’s legacy of nursing excellence by strengthening opportunities for students and faculty in our own outstanding baccalaureate nursing program."

Worcester State’s gift comes after Becker College pledged a $13-million gift to Greater Worcester Community Foundation, the largest in the foundation’s history.

Becker College closed its doors in the spring of 2021 in a decision the school’s board described as deeply painful. The four-year private college had an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students at the time of its closing.

“This commitment by Becker College to nursing education aligns with our mission to prepare highly skilled, compassionate nursing professionals who make a meaningful difference in the health and wellbeing of the Worcester community, the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and beyond,” Catherine Thomas, associate dean of the WSU Lillian R. Goodman Department of Nursing, said in the release. “We are honored by this gift and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our students and the department.”

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.