Background Statement
Friends of Nursing was founded in 1981 as Friends of Nursing of the University of Denver, a non-profit support group for the school's nursing students and programs. When the University phased out its School of Nursing in 1985, the organization was renamed Friends of Nursing, and its scope broadened to embrace the Colorado colleges and universities that grant BSN or higher degrees in nursing There are now nine eligible schools: Adams State College, Colorado State University-Pueblo, Colorado Christian University, Mesa State University, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Regis University Loretto Heights School of Nursing, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs-BethEl College of Nursing, University of Colorado College of Nursing, and University of Northern Colorado School of Nursing-Greely. The co-founders of Friends of Nursing were Greta Pollard and Janet Pirkey. More than one and a half million dollars in nursing scholarships have been provided by FON since it was founded.