When he was diagnosed in 1997 with a benign brain tumor, Steven R. Haley faced fear, uncertainty, surgery, and then the long road to recovery. During his treatment at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Haley and his wife, Boston College Trustee Kathleen Powers Haley '76, soon discovered that it was the hospital's nurses on whom they relied the most. "They're the ones who reflect the true face of a hospital," says Steven.

Following Steven's recovery, the Haleys dedicated themselves to advancing the understanding of brain tumor causes and cures. To encourage talented nurses to pursue advanced degrees in neuroscience nursing at Boston College, they established the Haley Family Fellowship at the Connell School of Nursing. Preference for the fellowships goes to practicing clinical nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital and its affiliates.

"We hope that this fellowship provides an incentive for the best nurses to come to Boston College," says Kathy.

Steven adds, "BC provides a much more comprehensive curriculum than other schools. It stands out because it has a core value system, not just an academic system."

The Haley fellowships have also helped to create a new synergy between two leading Boston institutions—BC and Brigham and Women's Hospital—that had long been looking for a systematic way of working together. "We're very pleased that the fellowship dovetails not only with our goals but with the goals of two institutions whose leaders we both admire," says Steven, who is a trustee of Brigham and Women's.

Recalling her days as one of the first women to attend BC's College of Arts and Sciences, Kathy says, "Going to BC made a big difference in my own life—the friends I made, the education I received, and the start I got in the working world. I'm so glad that I can help other students get the same opportunities."