St. Kate's gets $18 million for health education

Leaders at St. Catherine University are still pinching themselves after receiving an $18 million grant to innovate their health care education and global initiatives.

The grant is one of the largest, if not the largest, ever received by the St. Paul university. And it comes from a Catholic philanthropy — the Minnetonka-based GHR Foundation — that typically doesn't dole out such monster grants.

The funds will allow the university to pursue its dream of making health care education more relevant to its students and the needs of communities, said Penny Moyers, dean of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health at St. Kate's.

Moyers had presented the proposal to GHR Foundation, but wasn't sure it would buy into the university's ambitious plans.

"I was shocked and excited and thrilled," said Moyers. She joked, "Then I realized, now I have to deliver."

The plan runs on several tracks.

• Students studying in one of St. Kate's health care programs will have a chance to get a scholarship and on-the-job experience in a health care setting through a Certified Nursing Assistant training program that results in a paid part-time job upon completion. The pilot program, starting in May, is designed to better inform students about health care professions, as well as boost retention rates for CNAs, who have high turnover.

• A master's degree in Global Public Health will be launched, in part providing scholarships to students to engage in foreign travel and work with religious groups providing health care. The first focus will be Zambia, which is where the GHR Foundation has a child protection program.

• Gerontology and issues of aging will be woven throughout the curriculum of the university's 30-some health care training programs to better prepare students for the explosion of senior citizens in medical settings in years ahead.

• A project to bring primary health care to the elderly and ill living in neighborhoods is also underway with various partners.

Amy Goldman, CEO of the GHR Foundation, said the foundation was impressed with the plans because they address critical needs in society, support student education and offer an "innovative support for workforce development."

The GHR Foundation was founded by Gerald and Henrietta Rauenhorst, Goldman's parents. The Rauenhorsts, founders of the Opus Group real estate developers, created the foundation in 1965 as a vehicle for "transformational change" in health, education and global development.

Henrietta was a St. Kate's alumna and benefactor. The university's health care department bears her name. St. Kate's already receives $1 million a year in support for its health care program, Goldman said.

That said, "In terms of a one-time gift, it is very significant," she said.

The $18 million donation, for example, roughly equaled the foundation's total giving in 2014, according to the Minnesota Council of Foundations, which ranked GHR the 17th largest grantmaker in the state.

Health care education is a major part of St. Kate's mission, so doing it right was important to the university. About half of all the students graduating with BAs hold degrees in health-related fields, and nearly 40 percent of those completing graduate school.

The grant, which will be phased in over several years, kicks in next year. Said Moyers: "That will allow us to plan things out carefully and get our partners on board so we'll be ready to go."

Jean Hopfensperger • 612-673-4511