Salina’s Kansas Wesleyan University has received a million dollar donation.

According to the school, the Salina Regional Health Foundation has provided a $1,000,000 gift to the Kansas Wesleyan University Foundation to establish the Salina Regional Health Center Chair in Nursing Education. The recipient of the Chair is the current Chair of Nursing/Director of Nursing, Dr. Debra Logan, who began her administration of the Division of Nursing at KWU in July 2014.

“This endowed Chair gives Kansas Wesleyan a distinct advantage in its ability to retain exceptional leadership for our Nursing Division and to attract outstanding faculty,” said President and CEO, Matt Thompson, Ph.D. “It underscores the trust placed in our instructors to prepare well-educated, capable medical professionals for the Salina community and strengthens the relationship between KWU and Salina Regional Health Center.”

“This gift shows how much the Salina Regional Board of Trustees, our administrative team, and the foundation, value our ongoing partnership with Kansas Wesleyan University. This is an investment in our community and in regional medical education,” said Tom Martin, executive director of the Salina Regional Health Foundation.

Before moving to Salina, Dr. Logan was founding Nursing Administrator/Director of Nursing Programs for Brown Mackie College (Bedford, TX), and previously she served as Campus Dean of Nursing and assistant professor of Nursing for West Coast University (Dallas, TX), as well as Clinical Education Specialist for Texas Health Resources (Dallas, TX).

Dr. Logan is a proponent of technology-enhanced learning. She has served as a coordinator of academic partnerships and is a strong supporter of blended learning incorporating academic and clinical settings. Dr. Logan earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Nursing from Wichita State University (KS), and she holds a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington. She has been a registered nurse for 31 years, a nurse educator for 29 years, and an education administrator for 18 years.

Salina Regional Health Center and Kansas Wesleyan University have a strong history of collaboration as community partners. SRHC provides a place for KWU nursing students to perform clinical observations and rotations and employs Kansas Wesleyan Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates.