Agnes Scott College gifted $15 million to advance physician assistant initiative

Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes second from left and her husband James B Hawkes surprised the crowd at alumnae weekend convocation with the announcement of a transformational gift Joining them on stage from L to R President Leocadia I Zak Board Chair Elizabeth Noe and Cheryl Webster vice president for college advancement Courtesy Agnes Scott College Credit Photo courtesy of Agnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott College revealed that it received a million gift to help advocacy the school s physician assistant initiative The financial contribution came from Agnes Scott College alumna and trustee emerita Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes and her husband James B Hawkes the announcement was made during the college s Alumnae Weekend in honor of Mary Lou s th reunion In recent times established the physician assistant initiative is a -month curriculum that aims to promote inclusive healthcare and advance the Decatur school s commitment to serving diverse communities through compassionate care according to Agnes Scott College million of the Hawkes donation will go towards renovating Hopkins Hall the plan s home providing it with modernized system and renewed instructional facilities for health training purposes The other million will yield long-term encouragement for the undertaking through an endowment stated Agnes Scott College In making this outlay we knew it would benefit everyone the college students and society explained Mary Lou and Jim Hawkes Our long history with Agnes Scott has shown us the exceptional strength of its programs which open doors of opportunity for students We are proud to assistance a campaign that will have a lasting impact at the college in our communities and beyond According to Agnes Scott College the gift comes at a critical time for Georgia s healthcare workforce with the state being designated as a Primary Care Fitness Professional Shortage Area on account of it only meeting of its healthcare requirements The demand for physician assistants is anticipated to rise as well with Agnes Scott College estimating that demand will grow by in the metro-Atlanta area by a near increase over the national average The launch of our physician assistant effort is a visionary approach to healthcare building on the college s decades of success in pre-medical training announced Dr Rachel A Bowser vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college This gift is an affirmation of our vision to invest in programs that are responsive to locality demands and prepare students to be mission-driven empathetic practitioners Agnes Scott College says its physician assistant project has applied for provisional accreditation with a decision expected in June The college aims to establish the first cohort in October The post Agnes Scott College gifted million to advance physician assistant initiative appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta