Betsy B. Ryan ‘98 MA has made a significant contribution to create two nursing scholarship funds supporting the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing’s Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program at Villanova University. The Betsy Ryan Nursing Scholarship Fund and the Betsy Ryan Endowed Nursing Scholarship will help deserving students access a Villanova nursing education and expand the number of nurses prepared to diagnose and treat mental health issues.
The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, established in 2023, addresses a national shortage of qualified psychiatric-mental health care providers. This shortage threatens the country’s ability to provide timely and effective treatment to adults and children in support of their emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. The program aims to prepare an increasing number of nurses who can provide primary care and treat mental health issues for people of all ages.
Ryan’s philanthropic commitment to Villanova spans multiple areas. Originally from northern New Jersey, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and teaching certificate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, then earned her master’s degree in theater from Villanova University. She has long supported the Department of Theatre and Studio Art and the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts. In 2022, Ryan made her first gift to the College of Nursing, benefiting activities such as Nursing Without Borders and international learning and service opportunities in South Africa, the Dominican Republic, and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Ryan, who now lives in Naples, Florida, said she wanted to give back to Villanova “in a meaningful way that would make an immediate and widespread impact on communities across the country and around the world,” inspired by Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic values and commitment to the common good.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/nursing/newsevents/archives/Psychiatric-Mental-Health-Scholarships-Betsy-Ryan.html