Federal government awards $2.2M grant to Cox College

Rendering provided by CoxHealth

Cox College’s planned facility improvements include a new first-floor student lounge.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration last month announced a $2.2 million grant for Cox College.

The funding is earmarked for the Springfield college’s $6.6 million facility improvements capital campaign. Through the expansion, Cox College expects to be able to train around 465 new nurses in nine years, according to a news release.

“The collaborative efforts of local leaders will allow for new health care opportunities throughout southwest Missouri,” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in the release. “The expanded Cox College nursing school will help local workers gain the skills health care providers look for in a modern workforce.”

Launched last May, Cox College is running a fundraiser for the capital campaign that would allow for improvements on all four floors of its campus at 1423 N. Jefferson Ave., attached to CoxHealth’s north-side hospital.

In October, the college received a $1 million matching grant from J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation Inc. Under the terms of the grant, Cox College would increase its campaign total to $4.4 million after raising $1 million on its own, CoxHealth spokeswoman Kaitlyn McConnell said at the time. She could not be reached for comment by deadline this morning on the new grant from the federal government.