USD Sanford School of Medicine receives scholarship funding
USD Sanford School of Medicine will offer 40 new scholarships for the 2019-20 school year, thanks to a donation from Sanford Health.
Sanford Health pledged $300,000 per year to fund scholarships for med school students. Their funds will be matched by the USD Foundation.
The 40 scholarships will be awarded to 10 students from each class and cover roughly half of the total fees and tuitions.
Mary Nettleman, dean of the medical school and vice president of health affairs at USD, said the new scholarships will allow students to focus on their studies more.
“I think that student debt is one of the things we are always concerned about, it is a national issue. I think that is going to certainly free up students so they can have mental space to do other things,” Nettleman said.
With the new scholarships available, Nettleman said she hopes students will be inspired to worker harder at their studies.
“It’s going to inspire them to really do a good job at what they are really dedicated to. Medicine school is expensive and it is also hard,” she said. “Imagine trying to be the best physician you can be and carrying this bag of bricks on your pack that is your financial loan package. I think it will make quite a difference, just by lighting the load for these students.”
