Newman University has received a $100,000 gift from The Berry Foundation of Wichita. The gift was made to support the renovation and upgrading of existing nursing educational facilities and the building of the Bishop Gerber Science Center, a new, technologically advanced science and health sciences educational facility on the Newman campus.
The gift will help Newman in its ongoing commitment to produce well-educated graduates to meet the health care needs of people in Wichita and the surrounding area.
“We are most happy and grateful for this generous gift,” said Newman President Noreen M. Carrocci, Ph.D. “Through the Foundation, the Berry Companies, Inc. has been a valued friend of Newman University for many years. We greatly appreciate the Foundation’s commitment to philanthropic support throughout the community, and especially its support for higher education.”
The Berry Foundation has been a regular contributor to Newman since 1969. The Foundation has supported the Newman Fund, which provides scholarship assistance to Newman students. The Berry Foundation is also a charter member of the De Mattias Society. Members of this giving society pledge to donate at least $1,000 a year to Newman University.
“We’re very close to the school and are impressed with what Newman does and what it stands for,” said Berry Companies Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Fred Berry Jr. “We are a very Christian family and company, and Christian values as practiced at Newman are very important to us. We certainly like the success stories about students in the sciences, as well. Newman has an excellent record of students being accepted into medical schools and graduate schools, and that’s impressive. Not every college has that. So, we’re proud to be in a position to support the very good efforts of Newman University.”
The Berry Foundation gift is to support Facing Forward – A Campaign for Newman University. The campaign is designed to raise funds to build the 51,400 square foot Bishop Gerber Science Center, which is currently under construction and scheduled to be completed by August 2017 in time for the beginning of the Fall 2017 semester. Funds raised through the Facing Forward campaign were also used to renovate facilities in the existing Eck Hall, which houses the university’s nursing and health sciences programs. The newly renovated Eck Hall opened for the Fall 2016 semester on Aug. 22. Funds raised through Facing Forward will also help grow the university’s endowment and provide for the Newman Fund, which supports student scholarships.
The new and renovated facilities on the Newman campus will allow for up-to-date technology and equipment, more research areas for students and faculty, and “smart” classrooms. The facilities also include simulation labs of an Operating Room and an Intensive Care Unit, where faculty in a control booth may simulate medical conditions through the use of high-tech mannequins, observe students working on the mannequins, and give feedback to help students develop their clinical skills. Simulation labs are increasingly necessary to meet industry and accreditation standards.
About Newman University:
- Newman University is a Catholic university named for John Henry Cardinal Newman and founded by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ for the purpose of empowering graduates to transform society. The university is highly respected for the quality of its science, nursing and health sciences education programs, and the high quality of its graduates.
- 96 percent of Newman pre-med graduates who applied were accepted into medical schools over the past 15 years. For the 2015-2016 academic year, 11 Newman University students who applied for medical school admission were accepted.
- 100 percent of 2015 Newman Nurse Anesthesia graduates (92 percent on the first attempt) passed accreditation exams. The national average first-time pass rate was 87 percent.
- 100 percent of Newman 2015 nursing program graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Graduates of the Newman program have a 99.57 percent pass rate over the past five years.
- 100 percent of Newman Occupational Therapy Assistant graduates passed the NBCOT licensing exam in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Newman is the only OTA program of the five programs in the state of Kansas that can make that claim.
- 100 percent of Newman Radiologic Technology graduates from 2013 to 2015 passed their licensure exams, with an average first-time pass rate of 84 percent.
- 100 percent of 2015 Sonography graduates passed their American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography exams (physics, vascular, obstetrics).
- 92 percent of December 2015 Newman Respiratory Care graduates passed their Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) licensure exam.
- Other science graduates are accepted into postgraduate programs in chemistry, biology and other science fields at universities across the nation, including such prestigious schools as Notre Dame, Washington University and Iowa State.
For more information about Newman University, go to www.newmanu.edu.
About The Berry Foundation:
- The Berry Foundation is the philanthropic entity for Berry Companies, Inc.
- Berry Companies specializes in construction and industrial equipment distribution. Based in Wichita, it has 31 locations in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. It employs approximately 675 people.
- Berry Companies Inc. is a leader in selling, renting and supporting name-brand construction and materials handling equipment throughout the Midwest. Brands of equipment include Bobcat, Komatsu, Yale, Superior Broom and others.
- Berry Companies Inc.’s history dates to 1957 when Fred Berry, Jr. and his brother Paul purchased the Sam H. Denney Road Machinery Co. and renamed it Berry Tractor & Equipment Co. In 1962 the brothers acquired White Star Machinery & Supply Co., which had been founded in 1910. Since then several other companies have been founded or acquired, including Bobcat of the Rockies, Bobcat of Houston, K.C. Bobcat, Bobcat in North Texas, and Berry Material Handling.
For more information about Berry Companies, Inc. visit www.berrycompaniesinc.com.
For more information about Facing Forward – A Campaign for Newman University, visit www.newmanff.com, or contact Clark Schafer at 316-942-4291, ext. 2164, or [email protected].
