Simmons University Trustee Denise Coll ’95MBA credits her School of Management education with making a real difference in the success she had professionally in the hospitality industry. “And for that, I really wanted to give back. I hope other people will have the opportunity to experience what I did,” says Coll.
To help current and future students pursue a Simmons education, Coll and her husband, Nicholas Sampson, established a scholarship at the University in 2023, and they named it in honor of Coll’s mother. The Irene Tobin Coll, RN Endowed Scholarship Fund (and a companion current-use scholarship fund in her name) provide financial assistance for students enrolled in Simmons’ undergraduate nursing programs.
“We saw our gift as a wonderful opportunity for us to both recognize my mother and connect her to Simmons’ School of Nursing which is, obviously, one of the top nursing programs in the country” says Coll. “Making that connection made this a really special gift for us.” Coll’s mother earned her RN degree in 1947 through the Cadet Nurse Corps, which was established in 1943 to address a shortage of nurses before and during World War II.
As for her own professional path, Coll was mid-career in the hospitality field and working for the ITT Sheraton Corporation when she decided to pursue an MBA. The program Simmons offered at the time appealed to her for several reasons. She liked the option of pursuing her degree part-time, and the prospect of learning with other students who, as she did, “came to the classroom with actual work experience,” says Coll. “The fact that it was an all-women’s program was a bonus for me.”
Coll knows firsthand the significance of financial help with tuition. Her employer at the time, ITT Sheraton, paid 75 percent of the cost of her graduate education. “It would have been really difficult for me to try to take the whole load. Thanks to their support, I was able to graduate debt free. I was very grateful.”
Coll and her husband share a commitment to supporting education philanthropically. “I’m very focused on, and concerned about the cost of education today,” says Coll. “We want to continue providing support for students who want an education but are struggling with that goal from a financial perspective.” This year, the scholarship funds named for Coll’s mother were awarded to five undergraduates: Adelsa Brandao Andrade ’25, Charisse Bretoux ’26, Ella Brucato ’26, Anabelle Cai ’26, and Jiecy Chen ’24.
In a letter to Coll and Sampson, Chen, a BSN student, wrote, “Attending Simmons and pursuing a career in healthcare has been my longstanding dream. With the help of this scholarship for my education, I will be able to work towards my goals and become a compassionate and skilled nurse. My main objective is to make a positive difference in the lives of others through my work. Thank you very much for your contribution and generosity in supporting my education and goals!”