MSU receives $207,000 from Otto Bremer Foundation
Minot State University was recently awarded two grants totaling $207,450 from the Otto Bremer Foundation. One grant gave MSU’s Department of Nursing $157,450 to support a project to improve the health of residents in rural northwest North Dakota through high-fidelity simulation scenarios. The second grant of $50,000 funds the Victim Assistance Academy of North Dakota, which provides comprehensive training and quality services to crime victims.
"The Otto Bremer Foundation and Bremer banks are committed to building healthy communities in the Minot area," said Brent Mattson, president of Bremer Bank in Minot. "I’m delighted that our owner and partner, the Otto Bremer Foundation, is offering its support to Minot State University. These dollars would not be available without the great support of our Bremer Bank customers. When clients bank with Bremer, we generate profits which we deliver to the foundation which then uses those funds to make grants in communities like ours."
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program significantly contributes to the health of residents in primarily rural northwest N.D. It is estimated that by the year 2020, there will be an estimated shortage of 800,000 nurses nationally. Professional nursing in rural health care and community settings presents unique challenges to newly graduated professional nurses.
MSU’s nursing department incorporates high-fidelity simulation scenarios to maximize students’ communication skills, clinical reasoning and competencies and enhance patient safety without risk to real people. The OBF grant will facilitate the purchase of essential items for the Nursing Clinical Simulation Center, which will increase the safety and quality of health care of residents in northwest N.D.
The VAAND delivers a weeklong training focused on victim services, victims’ rights and a number of other victim-centered topics for professionals. The VAAND provides a unique opportunity to work, study and interact with crime victims.
North Dakota may be rural, but crimes of metropolitan stature occur within the state. In 2009, domestic violence incidents increased by 6 percent, relative to the same reporting period in 2008. The violent crime rate in N.D. for 2009 is 172.8 per 100,000, as compared to 161.3 per 100,000 in 2008. This represents a 7.1 percent increase in the violent crime rate for N.D. Violent crime includes murder/manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
The VAAND was developed to supplement limited training resources around the state by providing centralized, standardized and affordable training opportunities for those who assist crime victims. Attendees come from various communities and the experience gained from the VAAND enhances the service they provide to the people living in N.D. communities. The Rural Crime and Justice Center, a University Center of Excellence at MSU, leads the project.
Bremer Financial Corporation is a privately-held, $7.7 billion regional financial services company, jointly owned by its employees and the Otto Bremer Foundation. This unique ownership structure is the only one of its kind in the nation. Founded in 1943 by Otto Bremer, the company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., and provides a comprehensive range of banking, investment, trust and insurance services to more than 100 locations in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
OBF was created in 1944 as a philanthropic resource for Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Dividends coming from the foundation’s primary asset, Bremer Bank, provide the resources to fund the foundation’s grant-making activities. By listening to local voices and convening residents around common issues, the OBF gives more than $30 million annually, responding flexibly to requests that are unique to each community.
For questions, contact Jerry Stai, assistant finance professor and Prairie Community Development Center director, at 858-3289 or jerry.stai@minotstateu.edu.
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Published: 10/20/11 |