Gifts in Action - Jan Scharlau

MEET JAN SCHARLAU

Jan Scharlau is an alumna and lifelong innovator, and she is creating a brighter future for nursing.

HOW AND WHY SHE GAVE

The Jan Scharlau Endowment Fund in support of the College of Nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago gives the dean of the College a critical source of discretionary income.

“I really wanted to give the dean of the College some opportunity to have access to funds to deal with any variety of contingencies that might arise,” said Scharlau. “I know from my experience that having that little backup might have been helpful. From year-to-year there might be different needs.”

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

College of Nursing dean, Joan Shaver, knew exactly how she would use the money. “We were seeing a critical shortage of qualified faculty in nursing developing, and too few younger people were preparing for faculty positions by completing their doctoral degrees,” said Shaver. “Competition to recruit students was fierce and many schools could provide full scholarships making it seriously difficult to attract the top students. A gift such as Jan Scharlau’s was essential to helping us realize our ongoing dreams.”