Worcester State University recently announced a $1.24 million gift from Becker College that will have a profound, lasting impact on the university’s nationally ranked Dr. Lillian R. Goodman Department of Nursing.
“We are honored and thrilled to accept this transformational gift from Becker College,” said Worcester State University President Barry Maloney. “We are deeply grateful for Becker College’s generosity and commitment to outstanding nursing education, which is essential in our community. This gift will enable Worcester State to honor Becker’s legacy of nursing excellence by strengthening opportunities for students and faculty in our own outstanding baccalaureate nursing program.”
The gift will establish the Becker Legacy Endowed Scholarship for Nursing Leadership, which will provide financial support to Worcester State nursing students in perpetuity. Additionally, the Becker Legacy Endowment for Nursing Faculty Development will enhance access to advanced degrees and invest in the professional growth of the university’s nursing faculty.
The gift will also create the new Becker Legacy Study Abroad Program for Healthcare Leadership, which will enable nursing students to take week-long, immersive trips abroad to gain academic and clinical experience. The program will include support for the university’s decade-long partnership with Atlantic Technical University in Donegal County, Ireland (formerly Letterkenny Institute of Technology) for nursing study abroad.
Erin Condon, a junior in the Worcester State nursing department, said that participating in the exchange program allowed her to gain exposure to different cultures, healthcare systems, and patient populations, which she believes will make her a more well-rounded nurse.
“It will help me to understand that there are all different types of patients with different backgrounds that I’m going to come across in my time as a nurse, so it was just super cool to step outside of my comfort zone and get to know what nursing students in Ireland are doing and what their interests are and the types of patients they’re seeing,” she said.
Worcester State University’s undergraduate nursing programs have been ranked #1 in Massachusetts for the last two years by RegisteredNursing.org. The nursing master’s degree program was recently ranked one of the Best Grad Schools of 2025 by Money magazine, and the online master of science in nursing was ranked #2 in the state by RegisteredNursing.org.
“This commitment by Becker College to nursing education aligns with our mission to prepare highly skilled, compassionate nursing professionals who make a meaningful difference in the health and wellbeing of the Worcester community, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and beyond,” said Catherine S. Thomas, associate dean of the Lillian R. Goodman Department of Nursing. “We are honored by this gift and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our students and the department.”
The gift follows the spring 2021 closing of Becker College, then one of the oldest colleges in the country. Worcester State University helped lead the way in transitioning Becker College students to degree completion by creating academic pathways for many of Becker’s majors and offering guaranteed admission to Becker students in good academic standing. Among the 140 Becker students Worcester State welcomed, 73 students were from the college’s nursing program. In addition to supporting students, Worcester State made a commitment to inherit, safeguard, manage, and issue all of Becker’s 30,000 academic transcripts and numerous degrees for alumni and former Becker students.
When Becker College announced its closure in 2021, Christine Cassidy, chair of the Becker College Board of Trustees, said Worcester State University was quick to offer assistance to help Becker’s nursing students continue their studies. President Malony was among the first to offer help.
“Barry was one of the first people to reach out and say, ‘How can I help?’” said Cassidy. “And that was wonderful. It was something we really needed. He just stepped up and helped with a number of things, including making it as easy as possible for students to transfer.”
Cassidy noted that supporting the nursing program was a top priority as Becker worked to wind down operations. “Nursing was one of those hallmark programs at Becker. It had been in place for so long, and when we were closing and trying to figure out what we were going to do, we really wanted to prioritize the programs that were very special for Becker students.”
The partnership with Worcester State has allowed Becker’s nursing legacy to continue, something Cassidy said was incredibly meaningful during a difficult time. “It felt good to have that happen in a really tough period of time, and it seems like it’s working out quite well.”
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