Tice Family Continues Legacy of Supporting North Iowa Health Care Students
June 10, 2025
The legacy of Dr. George Tice and his wife, Eunice, continues to encourage the education of health care professionals in North Iowa. Through the George and Eunice Tice Scholarship and Education Fund, administered by the MercyOne North Iowa Foundation, Josi Barscz and Emma Parker received scholarship support for the 2026 academic year.
Josi and Emma are third-year Des Moines University medical students who completed year-long clinical rotations at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. The committee highlighted their promise as future physicians and commitment to MercyOne’s mission and values. MercyOne program directors noted their positive influence on the learning and care environments and daily eagerness to learn. Both students show an interest in pursuing primary care, specifically Family Medicine or Internal Medicine. For Josi, a rural Family Medicine rotation in Algona, Iowa, was especially impactful. “This is the kind of medicine I could see myself practicing,” she says.
This scholarship honors a deep family commitment to medicine and the Mason City community. Dr. Tice served the area for over four decades as a general surgeon, representing a multi-generational Tice family dedication to health care. Following his passing in 1989, Eunice Tice established the scholarship to reflect the couple’s shared belief in the power of local education.
Investing in future health care providers aligns with MercyOne North Iowa's long-standing role as a center for medical training. "MercyOne North Iowa has been dedicated to education since our earliest days," says Dr. Peter Larsen, Director of Education and Research. "We began training nurses at our founding in 1916 and established our first physician residency in 1974. Every year, hundreds of learners are trained here by our excellent teaching faculty and preceptors. Education is core to our local mission."
Through the generosity of donors like the Tice family, the Foundation actively supports medical education, helping ensure quality health care for North Iowa. “While we don’t have ‘college’ or ‘university’ in our name, MercyOne North Iowa is a critically important site for medical education in Iowa,” adds Josh Guyer, Chief Development Officer for the Foundation. “Our Foundation board recognizes the value medical education brings. Our doctors and nurses who teach are dedicated to training future rural health care providers like Josi and Emma while also caring for our community.”
Donors can support local medical education by contributing to the Tice endowment, other Foundation education funds or by establishing their own education endowment.
Donate: MercyOne North Iowa Foundation Giving - MercyOne North Iowa Foundation
Contact the Foundation: MercyOne North Iowa Foundation - Ways to Give
