EMPORIA, Kan. – Emporia State University’s new, full-ride scholarship opportunity for incoming freshmen majoring in education or nursing is the most recent in a long history of collaboration with the Jones Foundation. The new Jones Premier Nursing and Education Scholarship will fund up to six students per year who attend ESU and intend to eventually work in two fields currently facing workforce shortages.

The competitive scholarship is available to high-achieving graduating high school seniors in Lyon, Osage and Coffey counties, who plan to major in education or nursing at Emporia State. The scholarships are renewable for up to four years as long as the scholars meet grade and credit hour benchmarks. Selected students will have the full cost of their attendance at ESU paid.

This is the third scholarship program at Emporia State University created by the Jones Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “improving the health and education of eligible Kansans in Coffey, Lyon and Osage counties.”

The original Jones voucher program became the Jones Success Scholarship in 2022 – a $7,000 value over four years that is automatically granted to eligible ESU students whose hometown is in Osage, Coffey and Lyon counties.

“Education and healthcare have long been a focus for the Jones Foundation,” said Sharon L. Tidwell, executive director of the Walter S. and Evan C. Jones Foundation. “The development of the Jones Premier Nursing and Education Scholarship with ESU provides a unique opportunity for some of the brightest students in the three counties we serve.”

The Jones Premier Nursing and Education Scholarship will provide three full-ride education scholarships and three full-ride nursing scholarships to ESU – one of each from Lyon, Coffey and Osage counties. To apply, students must have a 3.7 or more weighted GPA OR a 28 or more ACT score, submit two essays, and live in Osage, Coffey or Lyon counties. Applications will be accepted Nov. 1, 2023, through Jan. 15, 2024. For more information or to apply for the scholarships, see emporia.edu/jones.