The University of Connecticut School of Nursing has been renamed to honor alumna Elisabeth DeLuca, who donated $50 million toward the new nursing building slated to open next fall.
The Board of Trustees voted last month to rename the school following DeLuca’s gift, which is the largest sum of money UConn has received in its history for any purpose, according to a press release from UConn in mid-September.
In addition to renaming the school, the board’s institutional advancement committee endorsed a proposal to name the new 92,000 square foot building DeLuca Hall. The building will include instructional spaces, a lecture hall, flexible classrooms, a nursing simulation and research learning centers, a makerspace for collaborative learning and a Center for Student Success with advising spaces.
The new nursing building has been under construction on Bolton Road — in between the Fine Arts Building and South Campus Residence Halls — since UConn broke ground on the site last October, as previously reported in the Daily Campus.
Approximately $20 million of DeLuca’s gift will fund the new building’s construction and $5 million to supporting equipment needs, according to the press release. The other half of the donation will support nursing student scholarships and programming for patient-centered practice, research and innovations.
In addition to DeLuca’s contribution, the building will be supported with $20 million in state funds and additional funding from other supporters.
With the rename, the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing becomes the second UConn academic unit to honor an alumnus in its name — the first was the Neag School of Education in 1999.
“Elisabeth DeLuca’s generosity will leave a lasting mark on the nursing profession,” Victoria Vaughan Dickson, dean of UConn School of Nursing, said in the release. “Naming the School of Nursing in her honor reflects her vision, compassion, and unwavering belief in the power of nurses to transform healthcare.”
DeLuca graduated from UConn with her nursing degree in 1969 and worked in the field for many years before serving as president of the Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation and the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, which are focused on education and health access.
As DeLuca was inspired by her mother, the new building’s first-floor lecture hall will be named Adomat Hall in her mother’s honor.
“Her gift lies in her ability to transform the university landscape, which is vital in bridging the gap between technology and humanity in nursing,” UConn President Radenka Maric said in the release. “This transformation is crucial for enhancing patient care by boosting efficiency, improving accuracy, and fostering better communication, all while nurturing empathy and a deeper understanding of patient needs.
When UConn opened its School of Nursing in 1942, it was the state’s first public institution to offer a nursing degree, and now it has over 900 students. It is among the highest demand programs at UConn, reflecting student’s growing interest in nursing careers, according to the press release. The school received almost 3,900 applications in 2024 for its 225 first-year spots in the school. The number jumped to over 4,700 this year.