UNE receives grant to fund scholarships for public health

Photo courtesy of UNE

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The University of New England has received a $300,000 grant from the Cornelia Cogswell Rossi Foundation to support scholarships for UNE online graduate programs in public health.

The three-year grant will support scholarships for professionals to pursue public health graduate certificates and master’s degrees, provide them with field experiences working in Maine’s deprived communities, and make the professional and community connections for them to continue to work in Maine after graduation.

The donation will pay for scholarships and costs for about 15 to 30 students.

“We are looking forward to recruiting candidates from across Maine to enroll in this unique scholarship opportunity that will strengthen Maine’s public health system,” stated Edmund Cervone, director of business development at UNE online.

UNE will partner with public health providers and organizations statewide to recruit candidates for this program. Partners will provide field experiences with their organizations as part of the student’s education experience. Partners, in turn, will have a pool of qualified candidates for leadership positions within their organizations.

Cornelia Cogswell Rossi Foundation Inc is a private foundation located in Wilmington, Delaware has donated to other Maine causes such as LifeFlight of Maine and Jackson Laboratory.

The Rossi Foundation is delighted to provide the initial funding for these public health scholarships, which we want to benefit as many people in the state as possible.” said John Raben, president of the Cornelia Cogswell Rossi Foundation.

UNE is the state’s top provider of health professionals, is home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, and a variety of other health care degree programs.

It has just over 6,500 total students, including approximately 2,300 on-campus undergraduates, 1,600 on-campus graduate students, and 2,600 online students.

UNE was ranked No.5 among Maine’s largest colleges and universities in the 2022 Mainebiz Book of Lists, based on full-time undergraduate enrollment as of fall 2021. It was also ranked No.11 among the largest nonprofits ranked by assets for fiscal year 2019.