Emporia State University Granted $150,000 from Patterson Family Foundation to Equip State-of-the-Art Nursing and Student Wellness Center

Kansas City-Based Foundation Largely Contributes to ESU's Nursing Simulation Laboratories

Emporia, KS (12/15/2025) — The Emporia State University Foundation received a $150,000 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation, a Kansas City-based family-led foundation whose initiatives serve rural counties across Kansas and western Missouri. The generous funding supports the purchase of equipment for simulation labs in the university's new Nursing and Student Wellness Center.

The Patterson Family Foundation's grant will equip the new center's skills and simulation labs with state-of-the-art equipment. Five simulation rooms are designed to allow students hands-on experience by simulating advanced real-life medical scenarios before entering clinical settings. Each of the five simulation rooms will have a dedicated specialty area, including medical-surgical care, emergency care, labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum (LDRP) care and pediatrics. The funding will also support the development of an 11-bed skills lab, where students will learn how to take vital signs and practice a broad range of essential clinical skills, such as administering intravenous (IV) therapy, performing wound care, and strengthening core nursing competencies.

"The generosity of the Patterson Family Foundation, among others, is greatly appreciated as it largely contributes to the education and experience our nursing students will receive," said Nicole Webb, dean of the School of Applied Health Sciences at ESU. "The funding provides essential tools that will allow our future nurses to graduate with hands-on training and proficiency, fully preparing them for their careers ahead."

In the heart of ESU's campus where Central Morse Hall was previously located, the new 32,000-square-foot Nursing and Student Wellness Center broke ground last year and will significantly enhance the academic experience for students and assist with the nation's and region's current healthcare worker shortage. The center is officially scheduled for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and public grand opening in early 2026.

"We are incredibly grateful for this significant investment, which will ensure our students have the advanced resources and training needed to become exceptional nurses," said Dr. Jason Drummond, president and CEO of the ESU Foundation. "This funding is directly helping us create a cutting-edge facility that will strengthen our nursing program and the overall healthcare workforce for years to come."