Scholarship Provides for Bethel Nursing Students

Bethel’s nursing program, well-known for equipping students to become competent and compassionate healthcare professionals, is ranked among the best in the nation. The program emphasizes faculty engagement, provides hands-on opportunities to serve in local communities and abroad, and recognizes the importance of faith-career integration. Because of the generosity of a local foundation, this faith-based education has been made more affordable for a few exceptional Bethel students.

In 2013, the Marilyn H. Batterman Memorial Nursing Scholarship, was offered to three nursing students and followed each student until graduation. In 2016, the scholarship was restructured to provide for an additional student every year. Since then, each fall, one more sophomore nursing student has received the $12,000 merit-based scholarship, renewable annually.

A gift of the Theodore W. Batterman Family Foundation, the scholarship honors the memory of Theodore’s wife, Marilyn, whose journey toward a nursing degree brought her to what was then Bethel College in the 1950s. The foundation’s personal connection to Bethel and its appreciation for the faith aspect of a Bethel education have resulted in years of ongoing support for Bethel students.

As the grants manager for the Bethel Foundation, Pamela Buchanan oversees relationships between Bethel and organizations such as the Theodore W. Batterman Family Foundation, a relationship she says has provided Bethel students with nearly $900,000 over the years, over $450,000 of which has gone to the nursing department. “The Marilyn H. Batterman Memorial Nursing Scholarship has the potential to really make an impact on reducing the need for additional financial aid,” says Buchanan. “And because it’s based on merit, it’s a great way to have somebody in the program honored. It makes doing something beyond a four-year degree possible.”

Cassie Metzler ’20 is one student whose professional aspirations are feasible thanks to this scholarship. Metzler first developed a passion for nursing when she saw the occupation as a means to ensure every person’s voice is heard concerning their medical needs. “Nursing empowers me to exemplify Christ's love through providing medical care and being a listening ear to any patient that walks through the doors of a medical facility,” she explains.

After applying for the nursing departmental scholarships, Metzler was excited to learn she was selected as a recipient of the Marilyn H. Batterman Scholarship. “How awesome is it,” she says, “that there are people and organizations that are so generous to believe in and invest in our education!”

“The Marilyn H. Batterman scholarship took a heavy weight off my shoulders,” Metzler continues. “It has also allowed me to pour more time into my studies that I may have otherwise used to earn the money needed to pay for school… My hopes for future recipients of this scholarship is that it would provide them with peace of mind and be a constant reminder of the Lord's provision.”