NEW ALBANY, Ind. – IU Southeast received a generous gift to the School of Natural Sciences by Mark Holloway in honor of his late wife and IU Southeast alumna Teresa Blessinger.
The $1 million gift will create the Teresa Blessinger Memorial Scholarship for IU Southeast School of Natural Sciences students.
“We are very grateful for this tremendous gift that will provide more scholarship opportunities for our students in the School of Natural Sciences,” said Vice Chancellor for Advancement Betty Russo. “Philanthropists like Mark Holloway and his late wife make it possible for us to continue our mission to prepare our students to be productive citizens.”
Teresa Blessinger grew up in Corydon, Indiana, and graduated from IU Southeast with a Bachelor of Arts in biology in 1977 and from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1981. She was an anesthesiologist at Baptist Health in Louisville for 30 years and passed away in September of 2017.
Blessinger credited going to medical school to the faculty she had at IU Southeast. She intended to be a medical technician; however, one of her professors encouraged her to aim higher.
“My wife was an exceptional undergraduate student at IU Southeast, and her instructors and her academic counselor almost forced her to take the Medical College Admission Test,” said Holloway. “She always attributed those professors at IU Southeast making her aim high as a reason for her success.”
Mark Holloway recently retired as the chief investment officer for Stock Yards Bank in Louisville, where he worked for over 30 years. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky and an M.B.A. from Bellarmine University.
“I know how difficult it is to get through college when you’re financially strapped,” he said. “I hope that this will allow students the peace of mind to know that as long as they maintain certain academic standards and have the need, they don’t have to worry about paying for their education. Because this gift is going to the School of Natural Sciences, I hope that these scholarships will produce some of the doctors of tomorrow.”