Montana State University College of Nursing Dean Sarah Shannon speaks during a news conference announcing a $101 million philanthropic gift in 2021. (Samuel Wilson/Chronicle)
Montana State University plans to break ground on four new buildings for its nursing programs in April, including one in Bozeman.
In September, the Montana University System Board of Regents gave MSU the green light on several building projects, including new facilities for the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing. The project was made possible by a $101 million gift from Mark and Robyn Jones in 2021, which is still the largest donation the university has ever received.
In November, MSU broke ground on a nursing building in Great Falls, which was the first of five new facilities as part of the project. From April 5 to 23, the university is planning the remaining four groundbreaking ceremonies in Missoula, Bozeman, Billings and Kalispell, an MSU press release announced.
The Bozeman ceremony will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on April 9 at the southeast corner of Grant Street and 11th Avenue, where Bobcat Lot 3 is located.
“These new buildings will provide students with a better learning experience and allow us to enroll more students to help meet the nursing shortage in Montana,” Sarah Shannon, dean of the nursing college, said in the release.
Montana State University College of Nursing Dean Sarah Shannon speaks during a news conference announcing a $101 million philanthropic gift in 2021. (Samuel Wilson/Chronicle)
Regents approved MSU to spend up to $92 million on the construction projects. The Bozeman site is estimated to cost $19.5 million for about 25,500 square feet of space, according to the September meeting agenda.
When MSU received the Jones’ donation in 2021, the university announced it was also planning to use the funds to create a scholarship fund for nursing students, start a certified nurse midwifery program and establish five endowed professor positions to help recruit nursing faculty.
Mark and Robyn Jones are cofounders of Texas-based Goosehead Insurance. MSU President Waded Cruzado serves on the company’s board of directors, according to the agency’s website.
Health care staffing shortages were worsened by burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the industry is still recovering and experiencing a high demand for staff.
MSU’s building projects are part of its — and other universities’ — efforts to bolster health care programs and train more graduates for the industry. The University of Montana received a $3.6 million federal grant in 2023 to start a new nursing training program.
In January, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services also announced new hiring incentives at its five state-run healthcare facilities.
The program — which offers up to $15,000 in bonuses each year of continuous employment — is meant to decrease the facilities’ reliance on contractors to meet staffing needs, a DPHHS press release said. The program covers registered nurses, certified nurse aides, direct support professionals, psychiatric technicians and forensic mental health technicians, the release said.
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