The Fritz B. Burns Foundation is building a foundation at BYU
May 1, 2009
When looking for a way to positively impact students, donors frequently utilize scholarships as their vehicle of choice for making a difference. When looking for organizations that positively impact students at BYU through their scholarship donations, one doesn't have to look far to find the Fritz B. Burns Foundation.
The Fritz B. Burns Foundation is involved in many areas across the BYU campus, donating funds to various colleges and departments. In fact, the Foundation has already donated over $1.8 million dollars in 2009, and more than half of that generous gift goes to scholarships in five different departments or colleges on campus. Because of the Foundation's generosity, it was invited in 2007 to become the first foundation to serve on the BYU President's Leadership Council.
In addition to its yearly support of scholarships at BYU, the Foundation has also recently announced a $4 million dollar donation to the College of Nursing to renovate the Nursing Learning Center (NLC). The renovated NLC will be named in honor of Mary Jane Rawlinson Geertsen, a Utah nursing leader in the early 1900s and the aunt of Joseph Rawlinson, the current President of the Fritz B. Burns Foundation.
"The Fritz B. Burns Foundation's gift to BYU College of Nursing is profound," Dean Beth Cole said. "It will allow the College the ability to create a world-class simulation center for our students."
Fritz B. Burns Foundation Vice President Rex Rawlinson says that because of its relatively low tuition rates, scholarship money goes much farther, and can impact far more students at BYU than at many other universities. That fact, coupled with the high quality of the students at BYU, has contributed to the Foundation's decision to increase its commitment to BYU each year for the past several years.
"Good works speak louder than anything else," Mr. Rawlinson said. "At Mr. Burns' direction, BYU became a donee of the Fritz B. Burns Foundation because of the university's high ideals and good work. Because of its good works and high moral values, BYU has continued to be a donee of Fritz B. Burns Foundation to this day."
