Huntington Beach, Calif. — Golden West College (GWC) has been awarded $3.5 million over three years from the Samueli Foundation to expand its highly successful School of Nursing and increase access to high-demand healthcare careers across Orange County. The multi-year funding will support program growth, new faculty positions, expanded partnerships with local high schools, and upgrades to clinical training technology.
This investment will allow Golden West to gradually increase enrollment capacity to 150 nursing students each semester, helping meet urgent local workforce needs and reducing the regional shortage of qualified nurses. The funding also will enhance hands-on learning experiences through improvements to the College’s state-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Lab, a high-tech training environment designed to replicate real hospital settings.
“Nursing is one of our flagship programs at Golden West College and has helped thousands of students enter a fulfilling career that sustains their families,” said Golden West College President Meridith Randall. “This generous investment from the Samueli Foundation allows us to expand opportunities for even more students to pursue nursing and serve our local hospitals and healthcare partners at a time when they are deeply needed.”
GWC’s School of Nursing has long been recognized for producing practice-ready nurses who transition directly into clinical roles at healthcare organizations throughout Orange County and Southern California. The program offers multiple entry points for students to explore and advance in nursing, including dual enrollment partnerships with local high schools. The program also partners with CSU San Bernardino on a Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) enabling students to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing more cost-effectively.
“These institutions are gateways to opportunity for diverse, often underserved students,” said Lindsey Spindle, president, Samueli Family Philanthropies. “By investing in colleges’ capacity and expanding student supports, we help strengthen pathways to high-demand, living-wage careers. We envision an Orange County where opportunity is more evenly distributed, allowing for even more young professionals to set roots and prosper here.”
The expansion at Golden West supports an ongoing effort by the Samueli Foundation to boost workforce development programs that lead to living-wage roles in high-need sectors. By providing financial and academic support that results in high-demand, skilled jobs, students are able to stay in school, complete their degrees and achieve stable careers.
