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Christian Messa
(409) 772-NEWS
jcmessa@utmb.edu
FOR RELEASE: Sept. 13, 2005
Galveston couple establishes endowed presidential scholarship for
nursing students
Only the third of its kind to be created in the UTMB School of Nursing
GALVESTON, Texas — As
the United States faces a critically low number of registered nurses, one
Galveston
couple is creating incentives to encourage students to pursue the nursing
profession.
Mary Ann and Steve Salch have pledged to establish an endowed presidential
scholarship for nursing students at the University of
Texas Medical Branch
at Galveston. Only the third of its kind at UTMB’s School
of Nursing, the Mary Ann and Steven C.
Salch Endowed Presidential Scholarship will offset recipients’ tuition, fees,
book costs and living expenses.
“We have always tried to give back in time, service and, when we can, money to
enrich the community we call home,” said Steve Salch, a partner in Fulbright &
Jaworski L.L.P, an international law firm headquartered in Houston. “We hope
scholarships such as this one will encourage more students to pursue careers in
nursing.”
United States Department of Health and Human Services statistics indicate there
will be only 635,000 registered nurses to fill almost 1.8 million positions by
2010. Compounding this crisis will be the growing need for nurses as an aging
Baby Boomer generation — the 78 million people born between 1946 and 1964 —
approaches retirement and increases demand for geriatric health care.
Dr. Pamela G. Watson, UTMB School of Nursing dean, said the Salches’ investment
will provide much-needed financial support for the university’s nursing
students. “I’m grateful to Mary Ann and Steve Salch for making such a generous
gesture to the School of Nursing,”
said Watson, the Rebecca Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair. “They have been
actively involved in the UTMB and Galveston communities, and I certainly
appreciate Mary Ann’s insight and leadership as a member, and now chair-elect,
of the School of Nursing Advisory Council.”
“UTMB’s School of
Nursing
really offers such a valuable education,” Mary Ann Salch added. “We want to
support the nursing program in ways that positively impact students’ lives.”
The Salches’ commitment also supports UTMB’s Timeless Values, Pioneering
Solutions Campaign. This five-year, $250 million fund-raising initiative will
enhance areas of excellence in teaching the art and science of health care;
infectious diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; health care access and
telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery. Steve
Salch chairs the Galveston Regional Committee of the campaign.
In addition to her work with the
School of Nursing, Mary Ann Salch
is chair-elect of the President’s Cabinet. This
volunteer organization
provides financial resources to help advance
UTMB’s mission. Its membership includes community and business leaders from the
Houston-Galveston area, UTMB’s faculty and staff, and alumni from across Texas
and beyond. Salch serves on the board of directors for Galveston’s Grand 1894
Opera House and co-chairs the opera house’s advisory committee with her husband.
She is also a member of the Galveston Historical Foundation’s Development Board
and a founding board member of Career Boutique, a Galveston organization that
provides appropriate clothing, career counseling and mentoring to needy women
who are entering or re-entering the work force.
Steve Salch is active in the Galveston community as well, serving as advisory
director of The Grand 1894 Opera House and as a member of the Menard Society and
Galveston Historical Foundation. He is a member of UTMB’s Development Board, a
volunteer organization that helps create
fund-raising strategies for the university by leading outreach efforts to
alumni, patients and other supporters. Salch is the Fifth Circuit Regent of the
American College of Tax Counsel and a
former Chair of the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association. He is a
Life Fellow of the American Bar and the Houston Bar Foundations, and a Fellow of
the American Law Institute. He is listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in
America, Best Lawyers in America and Chambers, USA. He also has been named a
“Super Lawyer” by Texas Monthly magazine. Salch graduated from Southern
Methodist University and the university’s School of Law, where he was the
managing editor of the Southwestern Law Journal and a member of the Mu Alpha
Theta, Order of the Coif, Beta Alpha Psi and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies.
Ardent UTMB supporters, the Salches have contributed to such programs and
initiatives as the Salute to Nursing Scholarship Fund, the Nelda C. and H.J.
Lutcher Stark Diabetes Center and an endowed chair created in honor of the
institution’s president, Dr. John D. Stobo.
UTMB
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