St. Michael’s Episcopal Cathedral and Boise State Celebrate History with New Nursing Scholarship

Representatives from St. Michael’s Episcopal Cathedral in Boise recently joined campus directors and the Boise State Foundation to formally establish the Bishop Funsten Nursing Scholarship.

Father Sean Wall (center) signed the formal Bishop Funsten Nursing Scholarship agreement with COHS Dean Joelle Powers (left) and Boise State Foundation CEO Matthew Ewing (right).

The fund will support Idaho nursing students who want to continue Bishop’s dream of providing better health care to all Idahoans.

“This is a great example of the power of a community coming together to support something really important,” said Kelley Connor, acting dean of nursing at Boise State.

Established by Episcopal parishioners in the Treasure Valley, the scholarship honors the cathedral’s 160th anniversary. It also celebrates the legacy of caring and the close history between the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho and Boise State University.

Descending from a bishop

Bishop James Bowen Funsten was one of the longest-serving Episcopal bishops in Idaho, serving from 1898 until his death in 1918. In 1902, he founded St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise, which eventually became the Idaho health care system serving the region today.

Although the buildings that originally housed St. Margaret’s School for Girls have been demolished as the school expands, the original cornerstones still stand in front of Riverfront Hall.

But when Bishop Funsten founded the hospital, there were too few nurses in Idaho to support it. He addressed the problem at St. Margaret’s School for Girls, expanding the high school curriculum to include a nursing program and providing clinical training at St. Luke’s Hospital.

Over the years, St. Margaret’s evolved, first becoming Boise State Junior College in 1932 when Bishop Middleton Barnwell took the lead in launching a coeducational institution. Boise State University as we know it today came about through the early efforts of these Episcopal bishops.

Committed support for nursing students

The signing ceremony included remarks from Matthew Ewing, CEO of the Boise State Foundation, as well as Dean of the College of Health Sciences Joelle Powers and Interim Dean of the College of Nursing Kelley Connor.

Representatives from the Department of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Boise State Foundation and St. Michael’s posed with a framed memento from the newly established scholarship.

They expressed great gratitude for the generosity of St. Michael’s Church.

“Being able to support our students so they can focus on their education and not have such a huge financial burden after they graduate is a great thing for us,” Connor said. “We have so many students who deserve it, and this (scholarship) really helps with that.”

Fr. Sean Wall, Very Rev. Dean of St. Michael’s Cathedral, attended the signing. Also present were members of the 160th anniversary planning committee, Missy and Alan Swajkoski, Jim Hawkins and Garre Biladeau.

As part of the 160th anniversary celebration, the group will host a fundraiser at St. Michael’s. Once the scholarship reaches its endowment funding, Idaho nursing students will begin receiving awards.

In his thanks to the committee, Ewing emphasized that the scholarship will support nursing students “for as long as this university exists.”

Support for Nursing Students