Walker Foundation Donates $1.5M to Endow UA Little Rock Nursing Director Position

Joanna Hall, director of the Center of Simulation Innovation, assists UA Little Rock nursing students who received the Pat Walker Scholarship during a simulation in the center. (Photo provided)

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $1.5 million donation from the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation to create an endowed directorship for the School of Nursing’s Center for Simulation Innovation (CSI).

The gift will provide additional resources to support nursing education and aims to strengthen the pipeline of skilled health care professionals in Arkansas amid a growing national shortage of nurses.

The center delivers immersive health care simulation training to approximately 500 undergraduate nursing students each year and was recognized with the 2023 Frontline Simulation Champion Excellence Award by the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning, making it the only lab in Arkansas to have this recognition.

Collectively, UA Little Rock nursing students spend about 30,000 hours in the lab each year.

“The Willard and Pat Walker Foundation has a long history of support for our School of Nursing that has enabled us to have a meaningful impact on health care in Arkansas by equipping our students with the support, skills and resources they need to excel,” Provost Ann Bain said in a press release. “This latest gift will not only strengthen our ability to educate and train the next generation of nurses but also empower us to embrace cutting-edge advancements in the field.”

With about 1,000 nursing majors enrolled, the nursing school is the university’s largest academic program. The school has enhanced its programs in recent years, consistently achieving high exam pass rates and making investments in new training technology.

The CSI features a suite of training equipment, including a shaken baby simulator, EchoMasks, MetaQuest VR headsets and pediatric manikins, providing students with an advanced, hands-on learning experience and preparing them for different experiences in the health care field.

Joanna Hall, director of the CSI and assistant professor of nursing, is a former Willard and Pat Walker endowed scholarship recipient at UA Little Rock.

“The Walkers have been amazing supporters of UA Little Rock nursing students,” Hall said in the release. “As a two-time Walker Scholar, it is especially meaningful to now serve in a director position the Walker Foundation has endowed at my alma mater. This generous gift recognizes the exceptional training our simulation faculty provide and helps us retain top faculty, ensuring our Center for Simulation Innovation and School of Nursing continue to prepare highly qualified, competent and safe nurses to care for our Arkansas communities.”