Cal State Monterey Bay partners with Montage Health to expand nursing education

By Melissa Anderson

Cal State Monterey Bay has received a transformative $15 million gift commitment from Montage Health to expand nursing education and address critical healthcare workforce shortages in the tri-county region. 

The investment will establish the Montage Health Helen Baszucki School of Nursing in the College of Health Sciences and Human Services (CHSHS) and support the development of two new programs: a four-year pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). 

“Montage Health has long been a supporter of our two-year bachelor’s degree in nursing program,” said Cal State Monterey Bay President Vanya Quiñones. “Many of our graduates now work at Montage Health and other regional providers, demonstrating the strength of our existing partnerships. Now, with this transformational gift, we will be able to expand access to essential healthcare careers by establishing our pre-licensure nursing degree and a master's in nursing." 

The gift will honor Helen Baszucki, who loved the profession of nursing as both a practitioner and clinical nursing instructor. According to a Montage web page bio, she brought diligence, caring, empathy and kindness as a caregiver until her death in September 2020. Since 2021, Montage Health's Helen Baszucki Center for Nursing Excellence has accelerated efforts to invest in both current and future nurses — and this partnership demonstrates the growing impact of that work on the community’s health and workforce. 

The funding will help meet a growing regional need. Monterey County, like much of California and the nation, faces an ongoing shortage of healthcare professionals. An aging population, increased demand for health care and the high cost of living make recruiting nurses from outside the area increasingly difficult. Expanding local education pathways strengthens the pipeline of nurses trained and retained in the community. 

The funds will support the development and launch of a pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing program with an initial cohort of 40 students. They will also bolster more than 100 students in a pre-nursing major who are preparing to apply and enter the BSN program as upper-division students. In addition, the master’s degree program will admit 25 students into its first cohort. 

The gift will support faculty and staff hiring — including tenure-track faculty, clinical lecturers, advisors, lab coordinators and more — to ensure student success and strong hospital partnerships. In addition, the gift will help renovate a simulation and skills lab, and support accreditation costs for the new programs. 

“We’ve always believed that the strongest healthcare workforce is one we grow right here at home,” said Dr. Mike McDermott, President and CEO of Montage Health. “Expanding access to BSN education is part of our mission as a local nonprofit — to invest in our community, open doors to meaningful careers and make sure people across Monterey County can rely on excellent care for years to come.” 

The CSU Board of Trustees gave formal approval of the school’s naming on March 11, and Montage Health and Cal State Monterey Bay shared a joint announcement of the gift on March 16. A celebration of the gift will be held Thursday, April 9, at Cal State Monterey Bay, with a reception beginning at 10:30 a.m. and a program featuring speakers from the university and Montage Health at 11 a.m. RSVP to attend.