UConn Nursing School's $40M Gift Is Largest In University's History

STORRS, CT — Elisabeth DeLuca of the Class of 1969 has pledged a gift of $40 million to the University of Connecticut — the largest in the school's history for any purpose, a donation officials said "will position the School of Nursing to be a leader in combating the state and national nursing shortage.

The school is also now set up to be "transformational for the profession," officials added.

DeLuca's gift will provide scholarships and programmatic support for a "dynamic" nursing education that includes patient-centered practice, interdisciplinary research, and technology-based innovations.

It will also support the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility for the School of Nursing in Storrs, officials said. The combination of private and public support "will make this effort possible as Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and the General Assembly are united in UConn’s vision to address the critical nursing shortage," officials said.

The UConn Board of Trustees at its June 28 meeting approved the start of planning for the new building, which is supported by $30 million in bond authorizations approved by the General Assembly, with the full support of Lamont. On Friday, the state Bond Commission voted to allocate the bond funds to the University.

DeLuca's gift provides additional funds that are "critical to the project," officials said.

"Here in Connecticut, we strongly value those who enter the nursing profession, and we want to do everything we can to support them as they fulfill their necessary educational requirements," Lamont said. "By constructing a new, state-of-the-art building for the UConn School of Nursing, we are not only creating a place that can provide nursing students with the latest tools that will serve them well throughout their careers, but we are also showing anyone who may be considering entering this selfless field just how much of a priority nursing is to our state while also taking steps necessary to combat nursing shortages. On behalf of the State of Connecticut, I thank Elisabeth DeLuca for her very generous gift and her commitment to our nursing students. Matched together with state bond funding, these funds will enable this vision to become a reality."

Added UConn President Radenka Maric, "The new UConn School of Nursing building is an example of what is possible when state and philanthropic support come together. I am deeply grateful to Elisabeth DeLuca for her vision and generosity in making this transformative gift, and to Governor Ned Lamont, legislators, and the state Office of Policy and Management for their support.

"When Elisabeth sees a need at her alma mater, she steps forward. Elisabeth supported students in need with scholarships and attended a Shark Tank-like competition at UConn. She is all about creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship for nursing students, and she wants them to interact with engineering and pharmacy students and challenge each team to come up with an innovative product or method to improve nursing and then pitch it to the audience. This gift allows the UConn School of Nursing to build on its history of educating highly skilled nurses who will lead and innovate, addressing the nursing shortage while also driving impactful change in health care."

DeLuca, who is a former nurse, has a "keen understanding of the challenges nurses face and the importance of bringing innovation to the profession," according to former UConn School of Nursing Dean Deborah Chyun.

"Elisabeth DeLuca understands nursing and the critical need for well-educated nurses," Chyun said. "Her extraordinary gift, along with the generous support provided by the University and the State of Connecticut, will enable us to educate more nurses and nursing faculty who are so urgently needed across the state and beyond."

DeLuca hopes that her gift "inspires others to invest in nursing education." She is a longtime donor to the University, providing support that includes the DeLuca Visiting Professor for Innovation and New Knowledge Fund and the Adomat Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at the School of Nursing.

After graduating from UConn, DeLuca worked at Bridgeport Hospital and was promoted to Head Nurse of Intensive Services. She then joined her husband in running his business. She currently serves as president of the Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation and the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation.

The new nursing facility's proposed location is on Alethia Drive in Storrs.