The University of Massachusetts Amherst has announced a $21.5 million gift from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation in support of the university's College of Nursing.

The largest cash gift in UMass Amherst history will advance the university's innovative nursing engineering center, which supports participating students, staff, and faculty from both the nursing and engineering colleges, by providing financial support for activities and resources such as graduate fellowships, seed funds for R&D pilot projects, and an annual symposium as well as student scholarships, an endowed professorship, and mentorship and research initiatives designed to further access, equity, and excellence in nursing education. In recognition of the gift, the college will be named in honor of Marieb, the late alumna and bestselling textbook author.

A Northampton, Massachusetts, native, Marieb died in 2018 at age 82. She earned a master of science degree from UMass Amherst's College of Nursing in 1985 as well as a PhD in zoology from the College of Natural Sciences at UMass in 1969. She is the author or co-author of more than ten bestselling textbooks and laboratory manuals on anatomy and physiology. Her previous gifts include more than $2 million in support of campuswide scholarships.

"We are deeply grateful for this extraordinary gift from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation," said UMass Amherst chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy. "This gift is an endorsement of the vital role that our College of Nursing plays in preparing nurses for leadership in healthcare. It comes at a time when our society is confronted with unprecedented challenges — challenges that we strive to overcome through innovation, learning, and discovery inspired by one of our most distinguished and beloved graduates, Dr. Marieb herself."

"The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation is excited to expand the legacy of Elaine Marieb by partnering with UMass Amherst in naming the Marieb College of Nursing," said Marieb Charitable Foundation trustee Martin Wasmer. "The innovative nursing engineering program currently being launched at the university was clearly the catalyst for capturing the interest of the foundation and is consistent with Elaine's own spirit of innovation in learning."