Roane State Foundation recently received $5,000 from the Cumberland Good Samaritans to help fund the expansion of Roane State’s Cumberland County campus.

The project includes the construction of new flexible labs and classrooms, which will support increased health science enrollment and a new nursing program cohort at the Cumberland County Center. Construction on the expansion is already underway.

“This project will help Roane State eliminate barriers to program completion and student success by reducing drive times, gas and vehicle maintenance costs, challenges with finding childcare, and other obstacles associated with longer commutes,” said Scott Niermann, Roane State Foundation’s executive director. “We are so thankful to Cumberland Good Samaritans for understanding the value of this project and the difference it can make for students.”

Cumberland Good Samaritans is a non-profit organization that operates to address the unmet needs of people in crisis in Cumberland County. Through a volunteer-based thrift store located in Crossville, revenues are generated to support those in need.

Over the summer, Roane State Foundation leaders shared the campus expansion project with the Cumberland Good Samaritans board, highlighting the anticipated impact on the local community. The board then decided to join the effort.

“The Good Samaritans Board of Directors and Executive Director Mickey Eldridge are pleased to offer this gift in support of the expanded nursing program,” said Dr. Jim Kerley, vice chair of the Cumberland Good Samaritans board of directors and member of Roane State Foundation’s advisory council. “This partnership will enable more opportunities for our county’s students. I believe this fits the mission of our organization extremely well.”

The new nursing program cohort in Cumberland County is expected to start in 2024. Thanks to the expanded campus facilities currently under construction, anticipated enrollment growth can be accommodated. Additionally, students in the new nursing cohort will no longer need to travel regularly to other campuses to complete labs or other program requirements.

“Increasing our overall nursing program capacity and equipping students with the resources and training they need to succeed will better position us to meet the growing healthcare workforce demands of the region,” explained Roane State President Dr. Chris Whaley.

“Bringing this partnership full circle is the fact that Cumberland Good Samaritans is also supporting our student food pantry at the Cumberland County campus,” President Whaley added. “Seeing our missions align in multiple ways reinforces that we are building a better future for the communities we serve and putting our students first.”

The State of Tennessee is funding $1.7 million of this approximately $2.5 million campus expansion. To cover the gap, Roane State Foundation has set a fundraising goal of $800,000, with approximately half of that amount having been raised so far.

Additional donations are still needed to fully finish this project. Monetary gifts can be made online at roanestate.edu/donate. Funds can be directed toward this project by selecting “Other” and noting “Cumberland County Center Expansion” in the designation field.

The Cumberland County Center is located at 2567 Cook Road in Crossville. Additional details about this campus can be found at roanestate.edu/cumberland.

Information on the Cumberland Good Samaritans is available on the organization’s website at cumberlandgoodsamaritans.org.