|
Heartland Community College
receives $1.2M donation to support future nurses
Gift from the estate of Bud and Fran Davis creates nursing
scholarship and honors care provided by Heartland graduates
[October 30, 2026]
Normal, IL, – The
Heartland Community College Foundation has received a $1.2 million
planned gift from the estate of Bud and Fran Davis, one of the
largest gifts from a single donor in the College’s history.
The gift will create the Bud & Fran Davis Nursing Scholarship and
support Health Sciences resources at Heartland.
The gift was inspired by the care the couple received from Heartland
graduates. Heartland nurses and nursing assistants cared for Bud and
Fran Davis, and their family chose to honor that care by investing
in the students who will become the region’s next generation of
caregivers.
“In speaking with Pastor Jim Davis and his wife Cynthia, I have
heard about the impact that our Heartland alumni had on Jim’s
parents, Bud and Fran,” said Heartland Community College President
Keith Cornille. “Heartland nursing and nursing assistant graduates
cared for the Davis family, and their compassion and commitment made
an impact. We are grateful that they chose to carry on that legacy
of care by contributing to our students who will be the caregivers
of the future.”
Melvin “Bud” Davis, who passed away in 2014, held a leadership role
at Farnsworth Group. Frances “Fran” Davis, who passed away in 2025
at age 95, was a McLean County native and Illinois State University
graduate who taught at Trinity Lutheran School in Bloomington and in
the Tri-Valley and LeRoy school districts.
“My parents, Bud and Fran, were highly impressed by a nurse working
at their physician’s office, who was a Heartland Nursing graduate.
Later, during a hospital visit, they met a young woman who was
working full-time in the hospital while raising two children and
taking courses in the HCC Nursing Program. It touched their hearts
to hear of the challenges she was facing to fulfill her
responsibilities and complete her nursing training, so Bud and Fran
amended their wills to include the HCC Nursing Program in their
planned giving,” said Jim Davis. “They did not want personal glory
or recognition, but we are sure they would be very happy to know
that they were able to help support the staff and encourage the
students in the Heartland Community College Nursing Program.”
[to top of second column] |
Attached photo: (L-R) VP of Development Chris Downing, President Keith Cornille,
Cynthia Davis, Jim Davis, Director of Nursing Susan Carl, Dean of Health
Sciences Kelly Pyle, Provost Sarah Diel-Hunt
Few graduates
touch more lives than those who enter health care. Heartland
nurses and nursing assistants care for patients in hospitals,
clinics, and long-term care facilities across the region, often
when families need them most. Heartland’s 2026 Nursing graduates
posted a 96 percent pass rate on the NCLEX licensure exam, and
Nursing Assistant completions reached 268, the most in program
history.
The Bud & Fran Davis Nursing Scholarship will help students pair
their compassion with the technical skills and scientific
training that health care careers require.
To learn more about supporting Heartland students through the
Heartland Community College Foundation,
click here.
|
