Jorge M. Pérez and Darlene Boytell-Pérez
50th Anniversary of Nursing
Scholarship Endowment

FIU and the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences are grateful to Jorge M. Pérez and Darlene Boytell-Perez ’89 ’96 for their generous gift of $250,000 to establish this important endowment to commemorate our important milestone in the history of the FIU Nursing Program.

The endowment will serve to address the shortage of nursing professionals throughout Florida by establishing a permanent source of funding to help nursing students pay for tuition and related educational expenses. It will provide scholarships of up to four years for full-time nursing students who demonstrate outstanding scholastic aptitude and accomplishments and financial need, especially those expressing a desire to stay in the South Florida community after graduation.

Your gift to help FIU Nursing enhance this important endowment will impact the number of scholarships annually available to talented nursing students and help reduce the critical nursing shortage in our region.

According to a 2021 report commissioned by the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, Florida will face a shortfall of 59,100 nurses by 2035. The unmet need of FIU nursing students exceeds $2.8M after scholarships and grants.

Your gift is valued and appreciated and will make a significant impact to ensure students complete their degrees on time with lower student debt and become talented registered nurses and nurse practitioners.