BOZEMAN — On Tuesday afternoon, Montana State University broke ground on a building funded by a historic investment into Bozeman’s nursing education.
"Jones Hall. The new nursing education building for the MSU, Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing, Bozeman campus,” announced MSU President Waded Cruzado at the groundbreaking ceremony.
"Groundbreaking is the ceremonial start of the construction phase. We’ve been designing the building for the last two years and now we’re starting into the more visible part of the project," said College of Nursing Dean Sarah Shannon.
Bozeman’s facility is just one of five new nursing buildings MSU will construct across Montana. Funded entirely through a $101 million donation made by the founders of Goosehead Insurance, Mark and Robyn Jones.
"It was the largest donation at the time, ever, in the United States, to a college of nursing," Shannon said.
These state-of-the-art nursing facilities equipped with simulation labs will help address key issues in Montana’s healthcare system.
Shannon said, "There’s a nursing shortage nationwide and Montana is no different. In fact, rural states tend to have a larger nursing shortage than other states."
She says MSU will be able to educate 100 more nurses every year, from 300 bachelor-prepped nurses to 400.
Fifty-two of 56 Montana counties are classified as medically underserved by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
"And so, one of the things we needed was simply bigger buildings, bigger spaces to be able to educate more nurses," Shannon said.
Montana is currently sixth from the bottom in healthy pregnancies. But this historic donation will also create Bozeman’s first certified midwifery program.
Additional funds will help create an endowed scholarship fund for the college as well as endowed faculty professorships.
"And that will allow us to attract some of the top talent in the United States to be nursing faculty here at Montana State University," said Shannon.
For more information on the project, read here .
More Local News from KBZK
GVLT's 'Raptor Route' to make Bozeman trails safer from west side to the M
Sam Adams
5:26 PM, Apr 11, 2024
Planned Amazon distribution center a sign of Belgrade's rapid growth
Edgar Cedillo
7:50 PM, Apr 10, 2024
Interstate cables installed for safety get mixed reviews in Gallatin County
Jolee Sallee
10:22 PM, Apr 09, 2024
Bozeman Schools navigate increases in special education needs
Kristin Merkel
9:49 PM, Apr 09, 2024
Future Bozeman grocery store contingent upon maintaining remediation efforts
Hevenn Vanh
11:02 AM, Apr 06, 2024
High winds topple trees near Cooper Park—but don't worry, they won't go to waste
Hevenn Vanh
7:57 PM, Apr 05, 2024
I-90 speed limit lowered to 65 mph in Bozeman area—we explain why
Jolee Sallee
7:46 PM, Apr 05, 2024
Headwaters Rest Area opens after long delays—we asked, was it worth the wait?
Cassidy Powers
7:28 PM, Apr 05, 2024
Comments / 0