H-E-B announces $250,000 in scholarships

San Antonio – H-E-B announced today that it will partner with the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) to award the first 25 public high school students to enroll in UIW’s new Texas Top 5% Direct Admit Health Professions Program with $2,500 scholarships renewable up to four years ($10,000 per student) – a total of $250,000 for the program.

UIW announced the launch of the new Texas Top 5% Direct Admit Health Professions Program at a press conference on May 10. The program is open to outstanding high school seniors with strong academic ability seeking advanced degrees in nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, optometry or medicine. UIW’s new initiative provides provisional admission into one of the university’s professional programs for Texas high school seniors ranking in the top five percent of their class after their junior year.

“We have had a great response to the announcement of our new Texas Top 5% program and we are thankful that our friends at H-E-B recognize the program’s potential impact to alleviate the shortage of healthcare professionals in our state,” said Dr. Lou Agnese, UIW president. “The H-E-B scholarships will provide even more incentive for Texas students to take advantage of this innovative program. We are thankful for the continuous support H-E-B has shown for UIW and its programs throughout the years.”

“H-E-B is proud of our long standing relationship with UIW.  This commitment reflects our dedication to Texas Public Education and improving the health and wellness of the communities we serve,” said Dya Campos, H-E-B director of public affairs.

In addition to H-E-B’s gift, UIW announced the donation of 10 scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each for students of either public or private high schools enrolling in the program from the Richard Spencer Lewis Memorial Foundation.

Program recipients also receive a $2,500 scholarship per year for full-time study, renewable for up to eight years from the university in addition to any UIW academic award for which the student is eligible. The award continues into the professional program.

Programs students can choose from include:
Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) - Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions
Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) – Rosenberg School of Optometry
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) – School of Osteopathic Medicine
Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) – Feik School of Pharmacy
Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) – School of Physical Therapy

For more information on the program, visit www.uiw.edu/healthprofessions.

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CONTACT: Margaret Garcia, associate director communications & marketing, (210) 422-4052, or (210) 829-6001, mlgarci2@uiwtx.edu