Campus News

Juniata Alumni 'Pay it Forward' With Generous Support of the Gateway Center

(Posted December 17, 2025)

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Recent gifts move the center closer to reality for nursing students

Last spring, 18 silver shovels gleamed in the April sunlight as Juniata College symbolically broke ground on its new building, the Gateway Center. Once completed, the three-story building will include classrooms as well as office space for healthcare providers and nonprofits, expanding access to essential medical services in Huntingdon County.

Several Juniata College alumni have stepped up with pledges for the new center, moving the innovative plans closer to concrete reality. Howard N. Nathan ’75 and Lizabeth A. Nathan, Elaine Becker Jones ’76 and Keith L. Jones ’75, Stephen L. Werner ’67 and his wife Tina La Prest, Philip D. Heppard ’77 and Janet M. Heppard, and Janice L. Hadley ’74 have pledged significant gifts to support this major campus initiative. They share a devotion to the College as well as a desire to “pay it forward,” complemented by personal reasons for supporting specific sections in the new building.

A centerpiece of the Gateway Center will be a simulation lab that provides students with an immersive environment to develop their clinical skills. The lab will be designed to mirror acute, primary, and specialty care environments. Howard Nathan ’75, a trustee of the College, and his wife Lizabeth have pledged a substantial gift to fund the practice lab, ensuring that future nursing students will learn necessary skills using a hands-on approach.

It was the experience of using an electron microscope as a biology student at Juniata that led Nathan down his career path. After some time in graduate school in public health, he answered an ad in the newspaper to serve as a transplant coordinator for Delaware Valley Transplant Program. He went on to become CEO and under his leadership, the Delaware Valley program expanded into the Gift of Life Donor Program, one of the largest organ donation and transplant organizations in the United States.

Based on decades of preparing nurses to become clinical transplant coordinators, Nathan passionately believes in the importance of the liberal arts and the need for medical professionals to be well-rounded. “We need people who are attuned to relationships, who have people skills and not just the technical skills,” Nathan said when asked to comment about his recent gift.

“One of the greatest strengths of launching nursing within a liberal arts college is that our students learn to think critically, listen deeply, and see patients as whole people,” said Jennifer DellAntonio, director of the new nursing program. “The generous support for our simulation lab helps us create a learning environment where professional preparation and human-centered care coexist from day one.”

Elaine Becker Jones (class of ’76 and college trustee) and Keith Jones ’75, have pledged a gift to support the student lounge on the third floor of the Gateway Center. The couple have been financial supporters of the College over many years but “this is the first time we have ever made a contribution to a physical building,” Elaine said. Keith believes that a social area near the classroom will lend itself to discussion after class. “It’s a chance to clarify and deepen your understanding. A lot of learning goes on in that kind of situation.” The lounge will offer students a place to relax and have conversation, fostering a sense of community among the nursing students.

Another important feature of the Gateway Center will be ten patient care stations. These fully equipped bays provide realistic bedside experiences with IV poles, infusion pumps, medication stations, and manikins that simulate real patients. All ten stations have now secured funding through pledged gifts from donors.

Stephen Werner ’67 and his wife Tina La Prest have pledged their support for several of the stations. When asked what motivated their generous gift, Werner said, “We looked for a way to give back to Juniata. In conjunction with Mat Stoudnour, we reviewed possible naming rights to honor various members of our family and Steve’s graduating class. The Gateway Center provided that opportunity. We are very pleased with the outcome.” Stoudnour is Associate Vice President for Advancement at Juniata College.

Others have also stepped up to support the patient care stations. Philip Heppard ’77 and his wife Janet have made such a gift. “We both felt that rural health care needed support in general and this was a great opportunity for us to assist,” Philip said. They wanted to help with the nursing program because both sides of their family include nurses, including Janet's mother, Agnes Hoying Buening, and Phil’s grandmother, Gladys Duryea Griffis.

Janice Hadley ’74’s gift will fund two patient care stations. Hadley remembered working as a candy-striper when she was 16 but chose to study education at Juniata and devoted many years to teaching in elementary schools. During her retirement, she began volunteering at the local hospital near her home in Dover, DE, where she greets nervous patients and sits with families while they wait for a loved one undergoing surgery. She has even acted as a patient during simulations for the medical students. These experiences inspired her to contribute to the new Gateway Center.

Hadley is excited that Juniata is developing a nursing program with attention to the human-centered aspect of the work. Like the other donors, she appreciates how Juniata College helped her develop so that she could use her talents in a variety of professional settings.

When asked to comment on the impact of these gifts DellAntonio said, “These early gifts are helping us build a space where students will develop not only clinical proficiency, but also the habits of mind and heart that define outstanding nurses. Our goal is to prepare nurses who can bridge art and science with compassion in every interaction.”

Since the ceremony last April, the new nursing program has been approved by the state to matriculate cohorts of 30 students. There are currently 15 students enrolled in the Introduction to Nursing course. “Over the next year, we will continue building out the simulation and skills areas, finalizing the curriculum, and preparing for the clinical learning experiences that will begin in 2026,” DellAntonio shared.

On the larger vision behind the nursing program, DellAntonio remarked, “As we move toward full program launch, our focus remains clear: to educate nurses who combine clinical excellence with humanity. The support for these early phases of development affirms that our community values the kind of nurse who can think, connect, and lead with compassion.”

The Gateway Center and the nursing program were made possible because of an initial $1 million gift from Juniata alumnus Dan Sunderland ’88, a trustee of the College, and his wife Kerry. At the time of the generous gift, Sunderland said, “I am proud to support Juniata College as it develops the academic curriculum and infrastructure necessary for building future generations of health care workers.” To date, the College has received a total of $5.4 million in pledges, gifts, and grants to support the building and development of the Gateway Center, a project which is projected to total $17 million.

For further information about the Gateway Center and how you might support it, please contact Mat Stoudnour by phone at (814) 641-3191 or by email at stoudnm@juniata.edu.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.