McLaren Greater Lansing has made a $1.5 million gift to Michigan State University to establish the College of Nursing’s first endowed chair position.
The donation is the second largest gift ever given to the nursing college.
“McLaren and MSU have a legacy of partnering to improve health care services, advance research and train future caregivers, and this endowment brings us closer together to address the mental health care needs of Michigan and beyond,” said Tom Mee, president and CEO at McLaren Greater Lansing. “This commitment is much more than an investment in an endowment; this is a commitment to collectively work together to break down the single greatest barrier to mental health care services — access to providers.”
Endowed chair and professorship positions provide top scholars with stable support to actively engage in leading-edge work. The support from an endowment provides a dependable, perpetual source of funding to sustain the position, as well as the ability to conduct research and scholarship as new opportunities arise.
“We are grateful to McLaren Greater Lansing for their vision and for their investment in Michigan State University,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “This commitment will give the university the capacity to attract a faculty leader in behavioral health nursing and contribute to discovery and learning in this critical health area.”
McLaren has been an active participant in the Healthy! Capital Counties collaborative to conduct a community health needs assessment, which measures and prioritizes the health care needs of the region. Mental health care was identified as one of the community’s top priorities.
The Endowed Chair for Behavioral Mental Health Nursing Education will support the development of nursing competencies in this priority area related to evidence-based care and improved patient outcomes among undergraduate and graduate students, as well as McLaren nursing staff.
“The individual that fills this position will bridge MSU faculty and students with the McLaren Greater Lansing nursing team by improving mental health in the community,” said Randolph Rasch, dean of the College of Nursing. “Together we will work on the frontlines with patients, addressing the ongoing education needs of nurses, developing their behavioral health nursing skills and building a healthier community.”
The commitment from McLaren Greater Lansing brings the number of endowed faculty positions created through MSU’s Empower Extraordinary campaign to 60. A major goal of the capital campaign has been to increase endowed faculty chair and professorship positions by 100, to bring MSU’s total number to 200.