ASTON, PA — Neumann University has received a $5 million donation—the largest single individual gift in the school’s history—to expand scholarships and modernize training for undergraduate nursing students, university officials announced.
The gift from William Fegley Jr. and his wife, Jacquelyn, directs $4.5 million toward undergraduate nursing scholarships and $500,000 toward advanced laboratory equipment in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. In recognition of the contribution, the university’s bachelor’s and graduate nursing programs were formally renamed The Jacquelyn Wilson Fegley ’71 College of Nursing during a January 16 ceremony on Neumann’s suburban Philadelphia campus.
Jacquelyn Wilson Fegley, a Chester native, graduated from what was then Our Lady of Angels College—now Neumann University—in 1971. After entering the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia in 1962, she spent a decade in service and teaching before earning her nursing degree and beginning her professional career. Her husband, William Fegley, built a career in public accounting and later served as an adjunct professor and lecturer. The couple married in 1974 and today have five children and 11 grandchildren.
Neumann will begin awarding the Fegley scholarships this fall. Each year, 15 incoming students will receive $6,000 annually—$24,000 over four years—based on academic achievement and financial need.
Nursing is the university’s largest undergraduate major, with about 120 students accepted annually. Over the past four years, Neumann nursing graduates recorded a 96.9% first-time pass rate on the licensing exam for registered nurses, compared with 89.98% statewide in Pennsylvania and 86.33% nationally during the same period.
“This extraordinarily generous gift comes at a time when the demand for highly competent, practice-ready nurses continues to grow nationwide,” said Chris Domes, president of Neumann University. “The Fegley nursing scholarships will help transform the lives of countless aspiring nurses, including many first-generation college students, by supporting their academic journey to a lifelong professional career.”
University officials said the investment will both reduce financial barriers for students entering the nursing profession and strengthen hands-on clinical training through upgraded laboratory facilities.
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