UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nursing is often one of the most expensive college majors, incurring additional out-of-pocket costs such as fees for uniforms, stethoscopes and other equipment required for clinical rotations, as well as lab and NCLEX exam fees — a difference of about $3,746 a year as compared to other programs during the third and fourth years.
To offset this imbalance for nursing students who experience financial hardship, Toni Ardabell, a 1976 Penn State nursing graduate and chief of clinical enterprise operations at Inova Health System located in Northern Virginia, established the Ardabell Open Doors Scholarship in 2018 with a $50,000 commitment that was matched by the University 2:1 through a now-concluded program. Ardabell has now made another $50,000 commitment, for a total of $200,000 secured through her support.
“Toni’s scholarship will undoubtedly be transformational for the students who receive it, and for that I am so grateful for her selfless commitment to the college,” said Laurie Badzek, dean of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. “The scholarship will bring much-needed new nurses to the healthcare front who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to complete their nursing degree due to financial difficulties and help combat the nursing shortage.”
As a member of the college’s advisory committee starting in 2017, Ardabell said she saw firsthand the impact that giving could have on future nurses, and that experience prompted her to make her first gift.
“I wanted to support students who might not be able to finish a semester because of financial needs, to contribute to someone who might be on their last semester or two and just needed a little bit of a boost to get through," said Ardabell.
The joy of seeing her gift come to fruition and the response she received from recipients made all the difference for Ardabell and reinforced her motivation to give back.
“I have letters from some of the nurses who received the gift, and they will tell me how they were the first person in their family to graduate from college. Those messages fill my heart with joy knowing that I was able to help someone accomplish something so huge in a small way,” she said. “I think that giving is as much about feeling good about yourself as it is about helping another person, so, I always say, helping others helps yourself.”
Since its inception, the scholarship has supported 10 nursing students during a time when the healthcare field is facing an urgent need for well-trained professionals. As a top executive of a major health system, Ardabell understands that there is a critical nursing shortage in not only Pennsylvania, but the entire United States, that seems to have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
“We need more nurses in the workplace, and anything we can do as nurses ourselves, to bolster the profession to a place where nurses can feel supported and to reduce burnout, should be at the forefront of our actions,” said Ardabell. “Even though I am no longer in a bedside position, I’m still in healthcare, and I see the immediate need. Nurses who take care of our patients are critical and in high demand, so I wanted to contribute from that perspective as well.”
Ardabell also said she hopes the scholarship can further offer students who have financial hardship with an opportunity to explore the different avenues and specialties that the fulfilling and diverse nursing profession can provide. Ardabell’s own career as a nurse leader has included working in nonprofit organizations, disease management, Medicaid and physician relations. She received her graduate degree in cardiovascular nursing from Catholic University of America and her MBA from Marymount University.
“Nursing provides unlimited career choices, and I feel that my nursing background has made me a better healthcare leader,” said Ardabell. “There is no more flexible career than nursing, nothing that gives you more life options. Whether you're touching a patient or you're making decisions for the whole organization that will impact a patient, it gives you that feeling of satisfaction that you made a difference — that is nursing.”
Knowing her gift could help someone to finish their education and have a fruitful career path ahead of them has given Ardabell an immense amount of pride. She said she hopes that through her commitment those who have received the scholarship will one day pay it forward and encourage them to give, too.
Learn more about supporting the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing by visiting the Ways to Give webpage.
With the record-breaking success of “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” which raised $2.2 billion from 2016 to 2022, philanthropy is helping to sustain the University’s tradition of education, research and service to communities across the commonwealth and around the globe. Scholarships enable our institution to open doors and welcome students from every background, support for transformative experiences allows our students and faculty to fulfill their vast potential for leadership, and gifts toward discovery and excellence help us to serve and impact the world we share. To learn more about the impact of giving and the continuing need for support, visit the Raise Penn State website.