From the desk of the dean
Friends, alumni, and supporters of the college— happy summer from Montana State University! While university happenings tend to slow down in the summer months, the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing has been pushing full steam ahead. In Bozeman and Billings, we spent the early summer fully moving from former teaching spaces into our new nursing education buildings. In Kalispell and Missoula, we are scheduled to officially move in late summer. Faculty and support staff are relocating into larger offices brimming with natural light, and boxes and boxes of supplies are going into our brand new, state-of the art clinical instruction spaces. In short, the moves are a lot of work, but already so worth it! We are beyond grateful to our partners in Facilities, University Information Technology, and our donors who made this next chapter of growth a reality. From foundational skills labs that closely resemble real-world healthcare facilities to modern simulation labs, we are ensuring our Bobcat Nurses are well-prepared for their nursing careers when they graduate from MSU. And this fall, our new buildings will have their most vital component—more students! The Great Falls campus building welcomed students last fall, and in Bozeman and Billings, the accelerated bachelor’s of nursing program has held summer classes in the new buildings, with those students getting first use of our brand-new classrooms, day-use lockers, outdoor balconies and kitchen space. On Wednesday, August 26, all of our nursing students will be in these new, transformational facilities. In this newsletter, find the information to mark your calendar for the grand opening dates in Bozeman, Billings, Kalispell and Missoula, planned for September and October. All are invited to join us in celebrating this historic moment for our college. We have included some photos to give you a sneak peak at the new Jones Hall in Bozeman. Also in this newsletter are stories about two critical community health projects that received external funding, the brand-new American Indian Area Health Education Center housed at Aaniiih Nakoda College and administered by AHEC, and former faculty Kay Chafey’s generous gift to support an endowment for the Caring for Our Own Program. Thanks for all you do to support the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing. We sincerely hope to see you at one — or all! — of our building grand openings this fall! Best regards, Sarah
Student Spotlight: Clara Fox
Clara is a rising senior in the Mark & Robyn Jones College of Nursing and a javelin thrower on the MSU Track and Field Team. In 2025/26 she received a scholarship from the GRIT Grant Program, after being nominated by members of the MSU community. Fox said she was shocked to hear she had received the GRIT Grant when dean of students, Matt Caires, called to inform her of her selection. Being a Bobcat and being a nurse were goals from which she’d never wavered, and having that commitment recognized was a meaningful validation. “I was like, ‘I don't know, they're not going to pick me.’ I didn't think I was special enough to get a scholarship like this,” Fox said. “It really shows that the university and the community we have here cares so much about the students. They care about how well I do, and they have so much support.”
Faculty Spotlight: Jana Shank
Great Falls department head
Jana is a second career nurse who spent the early years of her life wandering & living in 7 different states and working as a hotel/ski bum, providing wilderness therapy, and backpacking and tour guiding in places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Hawaii. She was introduced to MSU while working in Bozeman Health Emergency Department and she drew blood/labs for Dr. Mary Miles in the Nutrition Department. Based in Great Falls since 2016, she has 15 chickens and 2 dogs (Rierdon pictured here) and a partner Cameron who she spends time chasing around the mountains behind bars aka dirt bikes and mountain bikes. Her favorite things about Great Falls are the Rivers Edge Trail, for great single track mountain biking, being close to several mountain ranges with no crowds, and fishing and boating on the Missouri and Sun Rivers.
Have you considered going back to school?
Receive your graduate nursing education while continuing to serve your community!
The mission of the Mark & Robyn Jones College of Nursing is to enhance the healthcare in our rural, native, and frontier communities, and beyond. To meet this mission, our graduate nursing programs are taught via a distance-delivery model so that our students can continue to serve their communities while receiving their graduate education. Didactic courses are taught primarily online via asynchronous instruction with three virtual synchronous intensive sessions a semester. All Doctoral programs have at least one in-person skills week requirement on the MSU-Bozeman campus, as well as in-person clinical preceptorships. Other in-person requirements vary by track.
Retired professor donates $70,000 to Montana State program educating Native American nurses
The Caring for Our Own Program, or CO-OP, received a $70,000 donation this spring to establish the Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail endowed fund. The money will support the success of the American Indian and Alaska Native nursing students enrolled in the CO-OP who aim to return home and serve their communities.
Multiple nursing community projects funded via seed grants
Wide Horizons: Co-Designed Cancer Information Pathways for Pediatric and Adolescent and Young Adult Patients in Rural Montana Primary project coordinator: Elizabeth Johnson
Strengthening Partnerships Between Certified Nurse-Midwives and Recovery Doulas to Support Pregnant Individuals with Substance Use Disorder in Montana Primary project coordinator: Tracy Hellem
Montana Area Health Education Center adding American Indian Center
Montana’s Area Health Education Center, which is housed in the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing, recently added the state’s inaugural American Indian AHEC to its network.
Take a sneak peak inside!!
Do you know a Montana high school student who wants to be a nurse?
Direct Entry for MT High School Graduates
Any student who graduates from a Montana high school is guaranteed admission to the nursing major at Montana State University. The Montana Nursing Direct Entry Program launched in 2022. The program has the goal of preserving Montana students access to the best nursing education in the state.
Montana Nursing Direct Entry students must: 1) Continuously attend Montana State University. 2) Maintain a 3.0 GPA. 3) Achieve a C- or higher in all required pre-requisite courses.