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The following was submitted by the Cummings Foundation:
Winchester residents Joyce and Bill Cummings’ self-named Cummings Foundation has pledged $2 million to Regis College. This gift will fund the Carol A. Donovan Endowed Dean of Nursing as well as a future health care clinic in the neighboring city of Woburn.
A 1959 Regis alumna, Donovan taught in the Woburn Public Schools system for 31 years before serving her first of seven terms in Massachusetts House of Representatives. She has remained active in the local community and was recently appointed to Governor Healey’s administration as a Woburn Housing Authority commissioner.
Donovan became a trustee of the New Horizons at Choate senior living community in 1995. After a 2002 restructuring, she transferred to the Cummings Foundation board. With a combined 28 years of service, she is the Foundation’s longest serving non-family trustee.
“Carol’s exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication to the people of Massachusetts shine brightly through her years of service, which commenced at Regis College,” said Cummings Foundation co-founder Bill Cummings. “We are honored to recognize her commitment to both the Commonwealth and the Foundation with this investment in the next generation of health care professionals.”
“I have seen the Cummings’ generosity and wonderful work firsthand over many years—both in Woburn and in the broader community,” said Donovan. “I am honored they would think of me for this special named gift.”
Amid a regional and nationwide nursing shortage, enrollment in Regis College’s Young Nursing School has grown by approximately 170% since 2011. The $2 million gift in Donovan’s honor will support the Regis endowment and establish a Regis clinic in Woburn, where students will gain hands-on clinical experience while also serving the greater Winchester region.
“This generous gift and incredible partnership with Cummings Foundation will enable Regis to further expand its footprint in nursing and health sciences, educating our students in a state-of-the-art clinical space while also providing critical healthcare services to our neighbors in the northern suburbs,” said Regis College president Antoinette M. Hays, PhD, RN.
