The University of California, Irvine (UCI) has announced a $3 million gift from the Sue J. Gross Foundation to expand its school of nursing.  

The Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing will allocate $2 million of the gift to help fund a new simulation center and $1 million to establish the Founding Dean Adey Nyamathi Endowment, which will provide scholarships for nursing PhD students. The simulation center will feature four suites, each with a different focus, including women’s health and pediatrics, surgery, critical care, and community health, as well as a hospital bed unit and an examination room. 

In recognition of Gross’s support, UCI will name a new 2,290-square-foot, 200-seat auditorium the Sue Gross Auditorium. A bridge will connect the auditorium to the Sue & Bill Gross Nursing and Health Sciences Hall, which is set to open in the summer.

“I have always cared deeply about health care and recognize the critical role nurses play in providing quality care in our communities. Never has their importance been more prominent than it is now with the challenges we’ve faced during the pandemic that have truly amplified the need for, and importance of, skilled nurses throughout our country,” said Gross. “Nurses have been on the front line for nearly two years now, and I want to continue to demonstrate my deep gratitude for their work. UCI shares my vision to enrich the students, the faculty and, ultimately, the populations in need of treatment and attention, and I am pleased to further support the school.” 

(Photo credit: Steve Zylius/UCI)