USD Foundation gets Indian health scholarship gift

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) – The University of South Dakota Foundation has received a $100,000 gift to offer scholarships to Native American students to study in the institution’s School of Health Sciences.

The university said Tuesday that the widow of Dr. Walter Anyan donated the money to establish the undergraduate scholarship program in his memory. Carol Ann Anyan, of Guilford, Connecticut, says her husband was a “quiet, caring man,” who became interested in Native American cultures.

The school says the scholarships will assist Native American students earning majors in areas ranging from social work to nursing who agree to return to their communities to practice. The goal is to improve health among Native Americans.

Anyan says she wants to put more funds into the program to fully fund beneficiaries’ expenses.