Neumann has awarded its first Fegley Scholarships to 24 undergraduate students in the Jacquelyn Wilson Fegley ’71 College of Nursing. Each student will receive $6,000 annually for up to four years of study toward a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The scholarships are funded by a $5 million gift, which Neumann received in January of 2026 from Jacquelyn and William Fegley, Jr. Their donation will fund similar scholarships for approximately 180 nursing students over the next 15 years.

In recognition of the gift, the university’s BS in nursing and graduate nursing programs were named in honor of Jacquelyn Fegley, a 1971 graduate of Neumann’s nursing program.

Neumann’s first Fegley scholars include students from Delaware County (Keela Carlin-Hagerty, Gia Marie Caso, Alondra Garcia Almonte, Tayton Hicks, Cade Kalbach); Philadelphia (Sarai Adams, Kayla Beavers, Rehanna Griffiths, Makayla Hicks, London Owens, Mikayla Rodriguez, Madison Wolf); Delaware (Makayla Faust, Aliviana Fontello, Amy Hamlet, Ava Patton); New Jersey (Ojonile Gabriel, Victor John, Morgan Lucidi, Logan MacDonald, Jade McDowell, Brianna Teasdale); Berks County (Vanessa Ventura); and Montgomery County (Morgan Keely).

Born and raised in Chester, Pennsylvania, Jacquelyn Fegley entered the convent of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia after graduating from Notre Dame High School in Moylan, PA, in 1962. She spent ten years with the congregation and earned a nursing degree from Neumann before pursuing her nursing vocation in 1972.

William Fegley began his career in public accounting with Arthur Young before he founded Fegley & Associates in 1975. He previously served as chair of the Board of Trustees for the Sisters of Saint Francis Foundation and is currently a member of the Neumann University Board of Trustees.

The couple married in 1974. They have five children and 11 grandchildren.