BOZEMAN — It may have been a regular Monday morning for you -- but not at Montana State University.
“I feel like I’m getting married again today. I’m so excited!” said MSU President Waded Cruzado.
President Cruzado had millions of reasons to be excited.
Mark and Robyn Jones, the founders of Goosehead Insurance, donated $101 million to MSU's College of Nursing.
“We will be constructing new, expanded nursing education buildings on each of our nursing campuses located in Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, Great Falls, and Billings,” said Sarah Shannon, dean of the College of Nursing at Montana State University.
Five new buildings, new student scholarships, five professorships, and a new midwifery program will all be created because of the large gift, and nursing students agree it’s not just about the money.
“We get all this money and people see a dollar sign in front of it but it’s—if I were to need care tomorrow in the hospital, I want the right person to be there, and I want somebody that has had all the opportunities to take care of me," said nursing student Savannah Hansen.
"Somebody has to go through training. Somebody has to go through school to take care of you, and this is giving so many more people that opportunity.”
The Joneses have ties to Montana but they’re not MSU alumni, so it begs the question: why Montana State University, especially as a Harvard graduate?
“They don’t need the money. This is an investment, and we’re making the investment because there’s great leadership at Montana State, and they brought forth a problem that we were able to do something about, working with them,” said Mark Jones.
The MSU gift is the largest donation ever given to a college of nursing program in the U.S.
