Loyola University New Orleans is now offering a new program that allows alumni to bestow $1,000 scholarship to friends, peers and family members, school officials announced.

The Loyola University New Orleans Online Legacy Scholarship will be awarded to 50 alumni-nominated candidates who apply, are accepted and enroll in the Summer 2014 term. The scholarship will be used toward an eligible online graduate program.

"Our alumni are an integral part of who we are as an institution," Mary Oriol, interim director of Loyola's School of Nursing, said in a statement. "Our students don't just leave, never looking back. Part of the Loyola University New Orleans' education experience and Jesuit mission, includes developing our students to lead meaningful lives that have global impact."

Oriol said that mission includes sharing their knowledge and acting as mentors in their communities in addition to taking leadership in their professional roles.

"This scholarship is part of carrying that torch and becoming a beacon for others to follow," she said.

Alumni of Loyola's online programs may nominate a potential student(s) through an online form or by speaking with an online program manager.

All Online Legacy Scholarship recipients must apply for admission and be accepted to Loyola University.

Programs that the scholarship can be used on include BLEND Program, Master of Science in Nursing with specialization in Health Care Systems Management, Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration, Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration with specialization in Justice Administration, and Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration with specialization in Forensic Science Administration.

Loyola University New Orleans is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and the largest Jesuit institution in the South. The 2013 and 2014 editions of the U.S. News & World Report Top Online Education Programs guide singled out the Loyola's School of Nursing as one of the best online nursing graduate programs in the country.