REUNION ISSUE A Publication of The Frances Payne Bolton School ...

The question then was: In addition to
managing tuition, plus costs for room
and board, how would students and their
parents come up with out-of-pocket
money to cover immediate necessities
critical to nursing students, like books,
uniforms, and lab kits? “Our students
have the costs that every other student
has, and in addition, they have to
have background checks, they have to
buy uniforms, they have to have extra
immunizations,” explained Associate
Dean of the Undergraduate Program
and BSN Program Director Lynn Lotas,
“[and] they have a number of things
that they have to do that are special,
that add up to a lot of money.” For most
undergraduates, the costs of books,
supplies, and required fees are estimated
at $1,833, but for nurses that amount
is $2,477 per year. The solution to the
problem was the alumni!
FPB alumni have always been active in
recruitment. Every year they support the
school during FPB open houses to guide
prospective students and visitors through
the school and answer any questions they
may have. As volunteers in the Alumni
in Recruitment Program, many out-ofstate—as
well as Ohio — alumni talk to
admitted students to put available nursing
programs into perspective and discuss how
their own education at FPB has affected
their careers, as well as their entire lives.
The goal for these alumni is to make FPB
the school of choice for admitted students.
FPB alumni were concerned about
enrollment predictions for 2009.
Seeking to boost enrollment, the FPB
Alumni Association discussed various
ways to help convert accepted students
into enrolled students. Since finances
are a major hurdle in attending Case
Western Reserve University, alumni
started a fundraising campaign to provide
additional financial support for new and
transfer nursing students. The campaign
was named “The BSN Stimulus Package”,
with the idea that the money raised would
be used to defray some of the out-ofpocket
expenses that students have to
bear upon enrollment. Winnie Walter, the
2008-2009 President of the FPB Alumni
Association Board, reached out to her
fellow alumni and asked for their support.
(Continued on page 28)
The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Case Western Reserve University 27