State Fair Community College (SFCC) announced on Monday that it has received a major gift for $250,000 from Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare (GVMH) to expand the college’s nursing program to include the Associate Degree in Nursing at the SFCC-Clinton campus.
“I commend the leadership of Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare for stepping up to help us launch the SFCC -Clinton campus RN program,” said college president Dr. Joanna Anderson. “Their contribution of $250,000 over the next four years is tremendous, and I want to thank CEO Craig Thompson, the hospital board, and foundation board for this generous gift.”
Approximately 40 people were at the SFCC-Clinton campus in the Truman Regional Education Center Monday afternoon to hear the announcement and discuss the importance of the nursing program expansion.
“Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare is very excited about this partnership with State Fair Community College,” said Craig Thompson, CEO at GVMH. “This RN program benefits our community and helps grow a very significant segment of our workforce. It provides an opportunity for high school students to transition into an RN program without leaving their community. This provides them with a great career path for the rest of their life. We are thrilled to support this important endeavor, and providing the gift of $250,000 over the next four years will help see that this program comes to life and continues shaping the future of our healthcare.”
SFCC also announced the college’s foundation will launch a new campaign to raise funds to cover the difference between the program costs and the revenue from student tuition.
“Our goal is to raise $800,000 to support the program during the first four years,” said Anderson. “The commitment from Golden Valley is the kickoff of our foundation’s campaign for the new Clinton RN program.”
The program at SFCC-Clinton will serve Benton and Henry counties and could provide trained nurses for other surrounding counties throughout central Missouri.
“I am delighted to see the college start a new program in Clinton that meets a significant need, especially in such a high-demanding area like nursing, in rural Missouri,” said SFFC Board of Trustees President Randall D. Eaton. “State Fair Community College has a large service area, and we are committed to providing quality education throughout our region.”
The SFCC-Clinton RN program will begin in the fall (pending regulatory approval), but prerequisite courses are available now for the spring 2019 semester. The Clinton nursing program will accommodate up to 25 students. To learn more about the program visit www.sfccmo.edu/clinton.
