MSN program recognizes MSU-Meridian donors with appreciation reception
Contact: Marianne Todd
MERIDIAN, Miss.—Faculty, staff and students from Mississippi State University-Meridian’s School of Nursing gathered recently to honor the school’s donors, whose gifts help students pursue their educational goals with less financial burden.
“When I came here in the fall of 2023, we had six full-time faculty, including leadership, for a state-of-the-art simulation space,” said Mary Stewart, dean of the School of Nursing. “By that Christmas, we had our first community advisory board meeting and had cemented our clinical partnerships. After IHL program approval in February 2024, and a whirlwind of policy and governance work, we were a school. And now, our students are exceeding our program benchmarks.”
The program celebrated its first graduates in August 2025, providing hospitals and providers with 32 MSN-prepared nurses. Representing 17 counties across Mississippi and four states, a majority of the first graduates found careers in Mississippi.
The Riley Campus program, centered within the School of Nursing, is the state’s first direct-entry MSN degree, opening opportunities for college graduates with non-nursing bachelor’s degrees to enter the nursing profession. With a rigorous, patient-centered curriculum, the program’s objective is to produce practice-ready graduates who are prepared for national licensure as registered nurses.
Donors gave more than $500,000 in student scholarships for the Master of Science in Nursing cohort seated in August 2025, having given more than $450,000 to the first such cohort, seated in August, 2024.
More than 70 MSN students have benefited from scholarship gifts provided by the Bower Foundation, Hearin Foundation, Mississippi Hospital Association, Riley Foundation, Mississippi Nurses Foundation, Office of Nursing Workforce, and Marty and Linda Davidson of Meridian.
During the reception, several students discussed the donors’ impact on their lives.
“You’re helping shape careers, shape communities and strengthen possibilities beyond the classroom,” nursing student Jackson DiCicco of Columbus said.
Shatara Naylor of Meridian, a mother and full-time nursing student, thanked donors and detailed the impact of their investment.
“Pursuing this degree requires a great deal of balance, resilience and sacrifice,” she said. “Your support has provided me with the stability and encouragement I needed to push forward.”
Courtney Bounds, a student nurse from Philadelphia, added, “Your generosity has lifted a significant burden, allowing me to focus on my education, my patients and my purpose, rather than worrying about financial stress. Your kindness has not gone unnoticed.”
Stewart said the program plans to welcome its third and largest cohort to date, with 48 new students enrolling in August.
For more information on MSU-Meridian’s MSN program, visit www.nursing.msstate.edu.
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