The founder of a digital company providing health care information has pledged a seven-figure gift to Seton Hill University to endow a scholarship fund to support entrepreneurship, health and technology and the owner of a nursing home company made “a significant leadership gift” to create a nursing program at Seton Hill.

Mary Finger, Seton Hill president, announced the financial support to a group of about 125 Seton Hill supporters at a dinner program at the university's Performing Arts Center in downtown Greensburg.

Grant Verstandig of Washington, D.C., the founder and CEO of Rally Health, along with the Verstandig Family Foundation, will endow the newly created Ruth O'Block Grant Endowed Scholarship Fund. Verstandig made the commitment in celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit of his grandmother, Ruth O'Block Grant, who is chairwoman of the university's board of trustees. Ruth Grant is president of Louis A. Grant Inc. of Plum, a multimillion-dollar corporation.

Daniel J. Wukich of Penn Township, a member of Seton Hill's board of trustees and founder of the Quest Healthcare Development Inc., is providing “leadership support” with a gift that will be used for start-up costs associated with creating a four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, Finger said.

The establishment of the program is contingent upon receiving appropriate approvals, Finger said.

There is a critical need for nurses, with a shortage of nurses, said Wukich, whose company operates nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

“The situation is desperate,” Wukich said.

Finger did not reveal the amount of money Verstandig and Wukich will provide the university.

For the Grant Endowed Scholarship Fund, select sophomore, junior and senior students will be identified for their leadership ability and academic achievements and participate in distinctive opportunities, Finger said.

The scholarship fund “will ensure Seton Hill students benefit from the mentorship and guidance of our alumna, Ruth Grant, and enhances a toolbox for their success,” Finger said.

The leadership commitment will be a major catalyst for Seton Hill's Centennial Campaign for Scholarships, which was launched Friday, Finger said. The university president said she would like to see 100 new and increased scholarships during the university's centennial year.

Grant Verstandig said he hopes the gift will “enable generations of Seton Hill students to find their passion, seek opportunities, take informed risks and ultimately become leaders willing to work hard to bring about positive change in the world.”

Toni Verstandig, Ruth's daughter and Grant Verstandig's mother, is a Seton Hill honorary doctorate recipient. Toni Verstandig is executive vice president at The S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C.

Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.

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