SCC FOUNDATION ESTABLISHES NURSING SCHOLARSHIP
TO HONOR RETIRING DIRECTOR

The St. Charles Community College Foundation has established a scholarship to honor Koreen Smiley, retiring director of the nursing department at SCC.  Smiley will retire this summer.
 
Smiley has been a faculty member at St. Charles Community College since 1988.  Prior to that, she taught for 10 years at St. Mary’s College of O’Fallon, which became SCC when the program was taken over by the community college in May of 1988. Smiley has been director of the SCC nursing program for six years.
 
The Koreen Smiley Nursing Scholarship will award $500 annually.  Students who wish to be considered for the award must have completed their first two semesters in the SCC nursing program.
 
“It’s amazing to have something named after you to honor the profession and honor the program,” Smiley said.  “To me, it’s important to award this scholarship to a student who emulates the qualities that nursing is all about – caring and compassion.”
 
Smiley also said it is important to her that the scholarship be awarded to a student who demonstrates financial need.
 
“I see students all the time that have personal financial problems,” she said.  “They work, they go to school, they take care of children.  I hope this scholarship will help ease some of those financial burdens so students can complete the program successfully.”
 
Edie Kirk, SCC associate vice president for Foundation and alumni relations, said several staff members wanted to create a scholarship that would celebrate Smiley’s legacy as a member of the nursing department at SCC.  
 
“Several SCC staff members wanted to recognize Koreen’s integral role in establishing and maintaining a strong nursing program for many years,” Kirk said.  “The program would not be as successful as it is today without her influence.”
 
Over the years, the nursing program at SCC has consistently adhered to high standards of quality.  Smiley said last year, licensure exam pass rates were at 97 percent.  She also said the graduation rate has consistently been around 80 percent, and that a very large percentage of students find employment in the field shortly after graduating.
 
Donations to the scholarship can be sent to the SCC Foundation; Attn: Smiley scholarship; 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive; Cottleville, MO 63376.  For more information about the SCC nursing program, contact Bernadette Moody at 636-922-8283.

The vision of the St. Charles Community College Foundation is to transform lives and strengthen communities. The independent, 501(c)3, not-for-profit corporation was formed to solicit, receive, and administer gifts, grants, bequests, and donations to support the educational purposes of the college. For more information, visit the Foundation Web site at www.stchas.edu/foundation.

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