Norco's CEO and other donors get an A+
BSU Gets Millions for Nursing Education Building
By J. Gelband, 7-25-07
Boise State University is a little richer today. And really, it makes us all richer as well.
Jim Kissler, CEO of Boise-based Norco Inc., presented the university with a $2 million gift on behalf of the Kissler Family Foundation that will be used for the construction of a new building for the Department of Nursing and the Student Health Wellness and Counseling Center.
The $25 million building is expected to be completed in time for the fall 2009 semester, and the Kissler donation is going to help provide more research and clinical opportunities and more classrooms and labs so the school can accept more nursing and wellness students.
A better facility means better nursing education. And a larger facility to accommodate more students is also benefit to the entire community, especially with the predicted shortage of nurses in the future.
“Making the lead gift to the nursing building allowed our foundation and Norco to achieve our goal of making a significant positive impact in the state of Idaho,” Kissler said. “We hope the students that come here to learn and later move into the field of health care will be a benefit to all of us for many years to come.”
Norco provides welding, safety and homecare medical supplies. But the Kissler endowment wasn’t the only gift presented to the university today; Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and St. Luke’s Health System also made $1 million gifts and Allen and Billie Noble, Ed and Shirley Bews and the estate of Jody DeMeyer made donations as well.
“This building is so critical to the nursing department,” Pam Springer, chair of the Nursing Department, said in a statement. “It will allow us the space we need to increase admissions to the program by 30 percent. The simulation labs in the new facility will give our students the opportunity to work with lifelike manikins so students are well prepared when they arrive in the local health care facilities. In addition, the synergy we will have with Health, Wellness, and Counseling will allow us to have a larger impact on ensuring a healthy campus.”
A healthy campus and healthy students means a healthier Boise. So add another check mark to Boise’s quality of life rating.
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