School of Nursing: Dean Marie J. Cowan Endowed Scholarship Fund

GUIDED BY A NURSING LEGEND

Dean Marie J. Cowan was a living legend — literally. One of very few nurses designated as a Living Legend of the American Academy of Nurses, Cowan made her mark on the profession and on UCLA Nursing.

Dean of the school from 1997 to 2008, she instituted a basic science emphasis and reestablished the undergraduate nursing program that had been lost before her arrival because of lack of funding.

It’s fitting, then, that an endowment in her name helps undergraduate and graduate nursing students follow in her footsteps by becoming nurse scholars, innovators, and caregivers.

The role of the nurse has changed. Today’s nurses conduct research that influences policy and informs best practices and better care. They engage in scholarship that uncovers solutions to problems in the profession and benefits patients and physicians.

UCLA Nursing, with the most competitive undergraduate degree program at UCLA , is at the forefront of preparing the nurse leaders of tomorrow. Ranked among the top nursing schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report, UCLA School of Nursing has a rich history of blazing the trail for nursing research and is continually pushing the boundaries to improve health and advocate for all patients. From a health center in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles to small rural villages in India and Uganda, the school is engaging with local partners to improve the health of entire populations.

Some students who dream of following in Cowan’s footsteps to become a nurse and a change agent face financial hardship. At UCLA, the Dean Marie J. Cowan Endowed Scholarship Fund helps them turn their dreams into reality, and we’re all better for it.