BOZEMAN — Mark and Robyn Jones, the founders of Goosehead Insurance, donated $101 million to MSU's College of Nursing. It's the largest donation ever to a U.S. school of nursing.
“I feel like I’m getting married again today. I’m so excited!” said MSU President Waded Cruzado.
Five new buildings, new student scholarships, five professorships, and a new midwifery program will 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.”
“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.
The Joneses have ties to Montana but they’re not MSU alumni, which raised the question: why Montana State University, especially as a Harvard graduate?
“They (Harvard) 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.
"We both grew up visiting Montana with our families, and now it is one of the places we call home," said Robyn. “We've seen first-hand the health care challenges that Montana faces, and we wanted to do something that will make an impact on the people of this beautiful state.”
"Whether in our community or our business, we've always believed that people come first," said Mark. "Montana holds a special place in our hearts, and we look forward to working with the MSU College of Nursing to help transform the health care community here and nationwide."
