The UNMC College of Nursing has announced its first recipients of the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship.
Earlier this year, the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF provided $1.5 million to establish scholarships for 100 UNMC College of Nursing students annually over the next three years.
This fall, the first 100 Conway Scholarships were awarded to Nebraska residents pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UNMC who are in good academic standing and demonstrate financial need.
The list of recipients can be found at this link.
Students may be enrolled at any UNMC College of Nursing division location — Omaha, Lincoln, Scottsbluff, Kearney and Norfolk. Scholarship recipients are known as Conway Scholars and receive an average award of $5,000 per year. Each division hosted a ceremony where students were presented with a Conway Scholar pin in recognition of their scholarship award and commitment to the nursing profession.
Nebraska faces a shortage of nearly 6,700 nurses. In addition, nine counties report having no nurses working in their counties, according to the Nebraska Center for Nursing report published in 2025.
“We are excited to partner with the Bedford Falls Foundation in educating the next generation of nurses,” said UNMC College of Nursing Dean Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, DNP. “The inaugural cohort of Conway Scholars represents the promise, dedication and commitment of Bill Conway Jr. in supporting nursing students nationwide. We are proud to recognize our first Conway Scholars and are grateful for their commitment to prepare themselves as compassionate, transformative clinicians.”
Conway Scholar Cierra Vanosdall said becoming a nurse has been a childhood dream.
“The financial challenges that come with nursing school have not always made that dream feel easy to reach,” she said. “Receiving the Conway Scholarship means more to me than I can put into words. It takes away some of the financial stress and allows me to focus on becoming the nurse I have always dreamed of being. I am incredibly thankful for this support and for someone believing in my future and helping me get one step closer to doing what I’ve been dreaming of since I was just a girl.”
Bill Conway Jr., founder and trustee of the Bedford Falls Foundation, said: “We are pleased to support the inaugural Conway Scholars at the UNMC College of Nursing. We hope these scholarships provide students with greater opportunities to succeed in their studies and prepare for nursing careers serving the communities that need them the most.”