Adelphi Receives $1M Bequest for Nursing Education
Garden City, NY (01/26/2022) — Adelphi University has received a $1 million gift to support nursing education. The bequest from Adelphi College of Nursing and Public Health alumna Mildred "Millie" Loughlin Kahane will support students of nursing who have financial need. Three nursing scholarships are established by the gift - the Mildred Loughlin Kahane '49 Scholarship, Kahane Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Scholarship and the Peggy Ann Burleigh Memorial Scholarship, which provided support to Kahane herself as an Adelphi student.
With applications for Adelphi's College of Nursing and Public Health at an all-time high, and the critical call for public health professionals in light of the ongoing pandemic, Kahane's gift will give a future generation of nurses an opportunity to earn an Adelphi degree.
"During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was in awe of our nursing students' determination to be caregivers on the front lines," said Christine M. Riordan, PhD, President of Adelphi University. "They were passionate about being part of the solution that people, our communities and the healthcare system desperately needed. Millie Kahane's gift will help support that drive in our students. It's an inspiring legacy to leave."
MaryAnn Forbes, PhD, interim dean of the College, added, "Ms. Kahane's generous gift will support students at a time when the need for additional well-educated nurses in the workforce is of critical importance."
Kahane, a 1949 graduate of Adelphi who died in September 2020, was the first in her family to attend college. From humble means, her ability to attend Adelphi was made possible because of a scholarship. One of the University's original U.S. nurse cadets, she went on to become the first executive director of the Alaska board of nursing. Kahane also worked for Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, California, and served as a faculty member at UC Davis, where she helped develop the nurse practitioners program and was one of the early pioneers of community health nursing.
A trailblazer in her field, Kahane credited her scholarship with enabling her to earn a degree and fulfill her career aspirations. That gratitude was the impetus for her to pay it forward, supporting Adelphi and its students by establishing several endowments in her lifetime.
"Millie Kahane was dedicated to community-based nursing and public health, as well as to supporting our college's students through her scholarships," said Elaine Smith '78, MS '88, EdD, who recently retired as dean of Adelphi's College of Nursing and Public Health. "I had the privilege of getting to know her, and she often attributed her commitment to nursing and trailblazing career to the education she received at Adelphi. Millie's generous gift makes the same opportunities possible for generations of future Adelphi nurses. We are honored to be part of her legacy."
See more about nursing at Adelphi, Millie Kahane, as well as ways to support students.
About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning
Adelphi University, New York, is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support academic and career success. Adelphi offers exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training, with particular strength in our Core Four-Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, the Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness.
Recognized as a Best College by U.S. News & World Report, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. It serves more than 7,500 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York -- just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities -- and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.
More than 118,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.
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Media Attachments
Adelphi University has received a $1 million gift to support nursing education.
The bequest from Adelphi College of Nursing and Public Health alumna Mildred "Millie" Loughlin Kahane will support students of nursing who have financial need.