Alumnus Gifts More Than $1.3 Million to the School of Health Sciences
Longstanding supporters Nicole and Ramzi Al-Rashid ’98 have generously contributed $1,309,000 to establish two transformative endowments that will advance academic excellence and professional development for students and faculty in Health Sciences beginning Fall 2025.
The Nicole and Ramzi Al-Rashid Endowed Scholarship will support prospective students from under-resourced backgrounds by providing financial assistance to earn a degree that leads to a professional pathway and economic stability while helping to address a nationwide staffing shortage in the healthcare field.
The Nicole and Ramzi Al-Rashid Endowed Professorship of Health Sciences will be awarded to a select faculty member, regardless of rank, as appointed by Donna Beuk, dean of the School of Health Sciences and founding director of Nursing. The Al-Rashid Professorship will provide resources for selected faculty to use in a variety of ways, for example: research, equipment and supplies, travel to professional conferences, stipends to host seminars or symposia, and more. In addition, the recipient will serve as a mentor to the school’s junior faculty as well as to graduate students in the university’s future post-baccalaureate programs in Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies and Physical Therapy, which are planned to launch through Fall 2028.
In August, the Al-Rashids joined ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ President Montserrat Fuentes and other university officials for a special check presentation and signing ceremony at Main Building. During his visit to the hilltop, Ramzi Al-Rashid, who earned his Kinesiology degree from St. Edward’s, reflected on his academic experience and emphasized the importance of giving back to his alma mater. The recent gift to the School of Health Sciences is one of many contributions the Al-Rashids have made to advance the university and its community. They are also recognized for their past support of the Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Center and the university’s baseball team.
Health Sciences at St. Edward’s
The School of Health Sciences is comprised of two academic departments, offering pathways for a variety of students to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and to the post-baccalaureate degree in Occupational Therapy.
