Verna Zimmerman Scholarship

“I believe there’s a great need for scholarships for undergraduate nursing programs,” said Verna Zimmerman, associate professor emerita of nursing at Goshen College. “Nurses need to finish a baccalaureate program before they can pursue more specific study in graduate school, so it’s important to encourage them to finish school.”

Zimmerman was dedicated to nursing most of her life. She chose nursing as a career during her high school years in the Depression. She attended Eastern Mennonite College to take courses in basic science and the social sciences.

Upon her graduation in 1935, she attended the Lancaster General Hospital College of Nursing in Lancaster, Pa. She studied nursing in classes taught by doctors during the day and completed her practical training during night shifts at the hospital.

Upon her graduation from Lancaster General in 1938, Zimmerman worked at Lancaster General for a year and then went to LaJunta Hospital in LaJunta, Colorado, for three years. She was a general staff nurse there.

In 1934 she worked with the Relief Training Unit, part of the Civilian Public Service (CPS) program, in Goshen. In 1945 she went to China on a three-year Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) assignment. She worked in a rural clinic in northern China.

Upon returning to the United States, she enrolled at Colombia University to obtain her teaching degree. Zimmerman taught nursing at Goshen College from 1952 until 1975 and was interim director of the nursing department from 1972-1975. She taught students from all levels in her nursing classes. She enjoyed teaching the seniors in clinical courses because “I could watch them achieve and watch them grow,” she said.

“I believe nurses need a strong basic scientific knowledge,” she said, “so they will know the reasons for their actions or proceed on their own without specific instructions.”

Although Verna Zimmerman achieved significant educational and professional goals, her values remained consistent with the Mennonite teachings’ of her childhood home. Always, she was concerned with practical, workable solutions to health care needs and she dealt with these concerns with true Christian compassion.

Through the Verna Zimmerman Scholarship, she encourages Goshen College nursing students to complete their undergraduate education, so that they may fulfill their highest aspirations.

Verna Zimmerman passed away on June 25, 2000.