USU Eastern Receives $25,000 Donation to Establish Health Scholarship Endowment

PRICE, Utah — Utah State University Eastern has announced a $25,000 donation from Daniel and Jane Madsen to create a new scholarship endowment.

The donation will establish the Spencer-Madsen Health Scholarship that will exist in perpetuity, impacting generations of students. This fund will support students in pre-med, pre-dental and the registered nurse program. The scholarship prioritizes high-achieving students and is intended to help cover tuition and fees, reducing financial barriers for those entering critical health care fields.

“This endowment represents more than a single scholarship,” said Bayley Hedglin, associate director of development at USU. “It signals long-term confidence in the future of health care education at USU Eastern. As a permanent funding source, it creates stability for thenursingpipeline and helps the program continue attracting strong, committed students.”

The Spencer Madsen Health Scholarship is named for Orson and Olga Spencer and Daniel and Jane Spencer Madsen. Both Orson and Daniel were physicians who graduated from Utah State University Eastern (then the College of Eastern Utah) prior to attending medical school. Both practiced medicine in Price.

“This endowment was inspired by a multi-generational legacy of physicians who served the Price and Carbon/Emery communities and were deeply connected to USU Eastern,” Hedglin said. “Their commitment to both health care and education reflects a long-standing belief in building local talent to serve local needs. At a time when rural communities are facing growing health care workforce shortages, this investment comes at a critical moment to strengthen the pipeline of future providers.”

Orson Spencer started his medical practice in Price in 1949 before retiring in 1983. Orson and Olga Spencer were ardent supporters of the College of Eastern Utah, with Orson having served on the college’s Board of Regents.

Daniel Madsen attended CEU in the 1960s and later practiced as an internist in Price from 1977 to 1990. His father also practiced medicine in Price from 1944-1966 and dedicated his life to serving the medical needs of patients in the Carbon/Emery area.

This scholarship is intended to help those who attend USU Eastern in the pursuit of careers in medicine or nursing. It is also a tribute to dedicated educators at USU Eastern for enriching the lives of many students. It is intended to invest in students from rural communities who are historically more likely to stay and serve those same communities. This investment will help address provider shortages, improve access to health care and support long-term community health outcomes in the Carbon and Emery regions.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be enrolled at USU Eastern as either an undergraduate or graduate student, be enrolled at least as a three-quarters-time student, and have a 3.5 GPA or higher. A preference will be given to students who are enrolled full-time. Eligible students must be enrolled as a pre-med, pre-dental or registered nurse student.

To learn more about the Spencer-Madsen Health Scholarship requirements and for help applying, visit eastern.usu.edu/advising or call (435) 613-5034 to schedule an appointment with the appropriate academic adviser.

Located in picturesque Price, Utah State University Eastern provides the best of both worlds for students­ — the personalized attention and small student-to-faculty ratio of a small-town college, with the educational opportunities and resources of a large university. USU Eastern boasts student government opportunities, clubs and programs like theater, choir and the award-winning student newspaper “The Eagle,” as well as its own athletic program. USU Eastern provides personal or professional development training, technical education in health professions, technical careers and business, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees and certificates of proficiency. Learn more at eastern.usu.edu.