University Advancement

By 2020, the U.S. faces a projected shortage of 193,000 nurses, according to Georgetown University researchers. At the same time, the demand for the Lydia Green Nursing Program students at SPU far exceeds openings. To meet the nursing shortfall, and with the financial help of generous donors, a renovated three-story facility for Health Sciences opened in October 2018. The space for nursing training more than doubled, to 21,000 square feet. Included are more classrooms, more student meeting space, more faculty offices, and more technology and cutting-edge equipment in an expanded Clinical Learning Lab. 

Facing this crucial nursing challenge shows the power of donors to make a difference and help meet a critical national need. Take a short tour of the new space.

Engineering major Daniel Houser, son of missionary parents, could not have attended SPU without strong financial assistance. Much of that generous aid came from the Summit Seekers Scholarship for children of current or past missionary parents — a $20,000 award over four years. Daniel has since become good friends with Summit donors Ray and Gay Brook, who established the fund to honor the memory of their son, Ron.

As a senior, Daniel, who graduated in 2018, designed Solairo, a solar-powered heating and cooling unit that promises to revolutionize living conditions for tens of thousands of refugees living in tent camps. The unit delivers a more comfortable indoor climate relatively cheaply, especially useful in regions where daytime temperatures can reach 110 degrees F.