Renaming the School of Nursing in honor of Bill and Joanne Conway

When Catholic University Trustee Bill Conway addressed the hundreds of donors and scholarship students gathered at the University’s annual Scholarship Dinner event in December 2017 during his keynote, he said “If you get sick, I guarantee you want a competent and compassionate Catholic University nurse to take care of you.”

Now, thanks to the generosity of Bill and his wife Joanne, both of whom received honorary degrees in 2017, Catholic University is prepared to ensure that countless patients across the nation and the world may be cared for by a smiling Catholic University nurse.

In recognition of the Conways’ extraordinary support for the Catholic University School of Nursing — to date, $20 million in support of full and partial tuition scholarships and a $20 million lead gift toward a soon-to-be-constructed Nursing and Sciences building — University President John Garvey announced in early June 2019 that the school has been renamed the Conway School of Nursing. He noted the Conways’ philanthropy will enable the University to double the school’s size and therefore double the number of future nurses.

“Our goal is to help educate 10,000 nurses in order to address our nation's healthcare needs and the shortage of nurses in this country. We have been so pleased with the exceptional quality of the Catholic University nurses and can see the tremendous impact they will each have on thousands of patients throughout their careers.”

— Bill Conway

To date, the school has enrolled 50 Conway Scholars; 22 of them have graduated and joined the nursing profession. “Most of the students who received Conway scholarships could not have gone to college, let alone nursing school,” Dean Pat McMullen said. “The nursing profession owes a great debt of gratitude to Bill and Joanne. It is a privilege that our School of Nursing will be named in their honor.”

“I take great joy in enabling the future nurses of the world to do what they want to do,” said Mr. Conway.

The building planning has commenced and an event to celebrate the Conway School is planned for the Fall semester.