Regis is pleased to announce a transformational $2 million gift from Cummings Foundation to establish the Carol A. Donovan Endowed Dean of Nursing at the university and provide funding for Regis to open a healthcare clinic in Woburn.
Former State Representative Donovan, a Regis alumna from the Class of 1959, is a trustee emerita of Cummings Foundation. Joyce and Bill Cummings, founders of Cummings Foundation, wished to make a gift to honor Carol’s longtime commitment to the Foundation’s work—and to honor her dedication to and support of Regis over many decades.
From left to right: Bill and Joyce Cummings, founders of Cummings Foundation, pose with former State Representative Carol A. Donovan.
“Carol’s exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication to the people of Massachusetts shine brightly through her years of service, which commenced at Regis College,” warmly expressed Bill Cummings. “We are thrilled and honored to recognize Carol’s commitment to both the Commonwealth and the Foundation with this gift. As the next generation of healthcare professionals embarks on their education at Regis, we are confident that they will draw inspiration from Carol’s remarkable legacy.”
The $2 million gift in Rep. Donovan’s honor will support the Regis endowment and establish a Regis clinic in Woburn, Mass., where students in Regis’ Richard and Sheila Young School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences will have the opportunity to gain hands-on clinical experience while also serving Woburn and surrounding communities.
Amid a regional and nationwide nursing shortage, enrollment in the award-winning Young Nursing School has grown by approximately 170 percent since 2011. In 2024, 705 new nurses will graduate. In the past three years, Regis has graduated more than 2,600 nurses. The school is committed to the education of nurses from the undergraduate through the doctoral level.
“I am absolutely overwhelmed by this generous donation from Joyce and Bill Cummings to name the nursing dean position at Regis in my honor,” said Rep. Donovan. “I have seen their generosity and wonderful work firsthand over many years—both in Woburn and in the broader community—and it has been a true joy serving as a trustee first for their New Horizons senior living community and for the past 22 years for Cummings Foundation. The Cummings have been so generous to Regis, and I am honored they would think of me for this special named gift.”
Joyce and Bill Cummings, who were bestowed with honorary degrees from Regis in 2023, are longtime supporters of the university. Cummings Foundation has supported Regis through its $30 Million Grant Program, first funding the launch of the Regis Center for Global Connections in 2013 and then establishing the Cummings Nursing Resource Center in 2016.
Rep. Donovan earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Regis and taught in the Woburn Public Schools for 31 years. She went on to serve seven terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, as president of the 1991 Class of Legislators and on the Energy, Public Safety, and Education Committees. Rep. Donovan was recognized as "Legislator of the Year" and as an "Outstanding Legislator" numerous times throughout her career by many state-wide organizations. She has served on the board of directors of Visiting Nurses Association of Middlesex East and was appointed to the Governor's Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence in recognition of her excellent advocacy. Just recently, Rep. Donovan was reappointed as a Commissioner on the Woburn Housing Authority by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. Rep. Donovan has always been deeply involved with Regis as a volunteer, serving as a class officer and on the Alumni Council. She is a loyal donor in the Higgins Society as well as a member of the Lifelong Learning at Regis College (LLARC) community.
“With a commitment to forming compassionate caregivers, our Young School of Nursing has been nationally recognized as a leader in nursing education,” says Regis President Antoinette M. Hays, PhD, RN. “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 greater Woburn area.”
“For years to come, the enduring impact of Rep. Donovan’s service will forever be honored through the naming of the dean of the university’s nursing school,” said the new Carol A. Donovan Endowed Dean of Nursing Sharon Higgins, DNP ’23, NP-C, ONC, WCC. “The Young School of Nursing is comprised of so many compassionate and talented nursing faculty and students, and our expansion to Woburn will allow us to provide high-level care to patients while ensuring our students are receiving the highest quality clinical experience.”
About Cummings Foundation: Founded by Joyce and Bill Cummings in 1986, Cummings Foundation has awarded more than $500 million to date to nonprofits based in greater Boston. Among the Foundation’s assets is a large portfolio of suburban Boston commercial real estate, all of which is managed—on a pro bono basis—by Cummings Properties. Additional information is available at cummings.com/about/giving-back.
