Radio Show Host Harry Hurley and Wife Margie Donate Nursing Scholarship to Stockton

Credit: Susan Allen/Stockton University

Galloway Township, NJ - Nursing students at Stockton University’s School of Health Sciences will benefit from a new scholarship donated today by WPG radio talk show host Harry Hurley and his wife, Margie, who comes from a family of nurses.

The Joan Fineran Nursing Scholarship is named in honor of Mrs. Hurley’s late mother, who was a dedicated nurse for over 50 years, serving at the Atlantic City Medical Center, the Betty Bacharach rehabilitation center when it was in Longport, and the former Children’s Seashore House in Atlantic City, among other facilities.

The scholarship is initially set to provide $1,000 each year for five years to Nursing students who have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Recipients will be chosen by the Scholarship Selection Committee. The Hurleys said they intend to extend the scholarship in the future.

Hurley, the host of “Hurley in the Morning” on WPG Talk Radio 1450 in Atlantic City, said, “We are thrilled to bring the Joan Fineran Nursing Scholarship to Stockton with Dr. Harvey Kesselman and the great team here. We have every confidence that this will be a perfect fit. We’re making a long-term commitment here.”

Margie Hurley said her mother was “a great nurse and a great person,” who often asked any of her six children who was upset to come to the Children’s Seashore House and help with babies who had serious physical problems.  “Then our problems didn’t seem as bad,” she said.

Mrs. Hurley noted that her daughter, Lauren, is a Stockton Nursing graduate, her sister, Lisa, is a nurse with AtlantiCare and many of her cousins became nurses.

“Nursing runs in the family,” she said, adding that when her mother was working it was enough to be a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). “But now you need a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and perhaps more advanced degrees as your career progresses,” she said. “We wanted to bring this scholarship to Stockton to facilitate that.”

“Stockton’s Nursing faculty and students have a commitment to lifelong learning, achieving excellence in all that they do, and improving the health and well-being of all those they serve,” said Stockton Acting President Harvey Kesselman. “Our students have consistently achieved a very high licensure pass rate, a testament to Stockton’s outstanding curriculum and clinical training.  Our Nursing graduates are highly regarded, and go on to find jobs throughout New Jersey and neighboring states.

“Donating this scholarship for Nursing education will help improve the quality of care for many patients,” Dr. Kesselman said. “We applaud the Hurleys’ generosity and vision in giving Stockton this gift.”