East Central University (ECU) in Ada, Oklahoma, has announced a $5 million gift from Chickasaw Nation to help fund construction of a new building that will house ECU’s nursing and STEM programs.

Combined with $7.3 million in funding from Oklahoma’s American Rescue Plan Act, the gift will enable ECU to begin development on the project and expand the School of Nursing with updated instructional facilities and expand capacity for other STEM programs to meet workforce needs in Oklahoma. The facility will include a simulation center, more than 25 hands-on learning labs, and STEM classrooms equipped with the latest technology.

“With the capability and capacity of the proposed building, ECU’s nursing program can admit and graduate an estimated 150 students per year,” said ECU School of Nursing director Darcy Duncan. “By fall 2026, we project 375 to 400 admitted nursing students in the program, learning to be safety-conscious, competent, and skilled nurses.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/skodonnell)