By Courtney Cole/Managing Editor

The generosity of Don and Julie Julien is well known to the Missouri Valley College community with the couple having provided the primary funding for the college’s DJ Rodeo Arena in 2014.

That kindness was displayed again this fall with a donation of $1 million to serve as seed money for a new nursing and health sciences facility.

President Bonnie Humphrey said the donation grew from past conversations she had with the Juliens about numerous projects at the college. During one such conversation, she talked about how the college would like to build a new health facility building. 

With Julie’s past experience of being a nurse and Don being a businessman, the Juliens were very excited to help the college get the new health facility on the road.

“It’s great to be able to give back what this town has given to us and I’m especially interested in the nursing program, being a retired nurse,” Julie said in a statement released by the college. “I think it’s wonderful that it’s here and I think it’s wonderful for all the people I’ve seen graduate. It just makes me proud that this is a really good profession.”

Humphrey said the plans for the new two-story nursing facility includes conference rooms, classrooms, offices, clinical labs and simulation rooms. This building will be located west of the Ferguson Center. 

With the new facility, the college will have the capability of offering new programs in health studies such as community health or phlebotomy.  

“It is always a humbling experience for me when someone with great wealth gives you a massive gift like a million dollars,” Humphrey said. “It is amazing to me that people are generous and will do that and that there are good people everywhere. This can impact hundreds of kids’ futures in the next 10 to 15 years and so it is more than a one time gift … this is a gift you can build on.”