DeLuca Philanthropy Invests $15.5M in WGU for Nursing Education and Workforce Expansion
DeLuca’s investment supports WGU’s new simulation center in Florida and the ReNEW Fund
ORLANDO, Fla. — January 27, 2026 — Western Governors University’s (WGU) Michael O. Leavitt School of Health today announced the opening of the DeLuca WGU Clinical Learning and Simulation Center in Orlando, a state-of-the-art facility that builds capacity and can provide about 3,000 experiential sessions per year.
“We believe one of the best ways to help more students achieve their dream of becoming a nurse is by investing in partners like WGU who can scale high-quality nursing education,” said Elisabeth DeLuca. “WGU helps reduce the barriers of entry into the nursing profession, and the DeLuca WGU Clinical Learning and Simulation Center ensures that thousands of students graduate fully prepared for real-world clinical practice — creating a stronger, more resilient nursing workforce in Florida and across the Southeast.”
Developed with a $5.5 million gift from DeLuca Philanthropy, the simulation center reflects the longstanding commitment of partnering with organizations to improve health care access and outcomes throughout Florida and the Southeast. The new facility aims to generate new nurses by clinically training students enrolled in WGU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Prelicensure degree program that are based out of Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
“This new center reflects what’s possible when innovative education and visionary philanthropy come together,” said WGU President Scott Pulsipher. “With DeLuca Philanthropy’s support, we’re expanding access to rigorous clinical training and accelerating the path for thousands of students to become highly skilled nurses serving communities across the Southeast.”
This investment builds on WGU’s broader efforts to expand health care education, which includes the Reinvesting in Nursing Education and Workforce (ReNEW) Fund, created in partnership with national nonprofit Social Finance. Launched in 2024 and supported by a $10 million gift from DeLuca Philanthropy, the ReNEW Fund offers zero-interest loans to help aspiring registered nurses earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. By combining WGU’s flexible, competency-based platform with affordable education financing and connections to employers, the ReNEW Fund is designed to address critical health care workforce shortages.
Expanding over 15,000 square feet, the DeLuca WGU Clinical Learning and Simulation Center in Florida features advanced high-fidelity medical education simulation equipment across five simulation rooms and two skills labs with 17 patient beds, four patient exam rooms, five student-focused debriefing rooms, and a large multipurpose room for teaching. Equipped with a nurses’ station and medication room to simulate clinical scenarios, the facility also provides hands-on training using lifelike manikins — responsive patient simulators — to prepare students for the nuances of direct patient care.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 5% expansion of the registered nurse workforce from 2024 to 2034, with more than 189,000 job openings each year, when nurse retirements and workforce exits are factored into the number of nurses needed nationwide. With more than 22,000 health sciences and nursing graduates in the Southeast region, nearly 9,000 from Florida, WGU’s Leavitt School of Health’s hybrid and online programs are designed to meet the growing demands of the changing health care industry.
About DeLuca Philanthropy
DeLuca Philanthropy is dedicated to expanding access to opportunity by supporting the education and wellbeing of individuals, families, and those that care for them.
