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Submitted by South Puget Sound Community College

South Puget Sound Community College and the SPSCC Foundation announced its acquisition of the Louis Walker Middleton building from the Estate of Olympia philanthropist Dr. Angela Bowen. The announcement event held on Jan. 16, 2019, celebrated Dr. Bowen’s $1.19 million in-kind contribution to the SPSCC Foundation, the largest gift in school history.

SPSCC Bowen Center Tanya Mote
Tanya Mote, executive director, SPSCC Foundation speaking at the event on January 16. Photo courtesy: SPSCC

SPSCC has designated the 24,000-square-foot building as the Dr. Angela Bowen Center for Health Education. The building will serve as the instructional home for some of SPSCC’s health education programs and become the primary office of the SPSCC Foundation. Students will begin instruction in the building when classroom and lab space are completed. Estimated completion is fall 2021, allowing SPSCC to expand programs for high-demand fields, like nursing and medical assisting.

The event included a celebration of Dr. Bowen’s legacy and a message of community impact on health care from SPSCC president Dr. Tim Stokes, SPSCC Board of Trustees Vice Chair Leonor Fuller, and Executor of the Estate of Angela J. Bowen and SPSCC Foundation Board Member Ted Schultz.

About Dr. Angela J. Bowen

SPSCC Bowen Center Angela Bowen
Ted Schultz, Executor of the Estate of Dr. Angela Bowen and SPSCC Foundation Board Member, in audience during announcement. Photo courtesy: SPSCC

Dr. Bowen was a physician, medical research pioneer, and dedicated community philanthropist. One of just four women in her medical school class, she spent much of her life working to improve access to medical services, especially for women, and supporting medical ethics research and patient’s rights. She also had a long history of philanthropy and natural resource conservation and invested millions of dollars locally to conserve and protect treasured Olympia resources. This building was named in honor of her stepfather, Louis Walker Middleton.

About health education at SPSCC

Health care is the second largest industry in Thurston County, and the fastest growing from 2014 to 2016. Careers in health care are forecasted to increase significantly over the next 20 years and SPSCC is making big moves to educate for and fill those jobs. SPSCC’s growing programs will move into a new spaces, expand enrollment cohorts, and send confident and educated graduates into the county’s many clinics and hospitals. SPSCC Healthcare Pathway subjects include:

  • SPSCC Bowen Center Tim Stokes
    Ted Schultz, Tanya Mote, Dr. Tim Stokes (president, SPSCC), and Leonor Fuller Photo courtesy: SPSCC

    Allied Health

  • Dental Assisting
  • Medical Assisting
  • Medical Billing & Coding
  • Naturopathic Medicine
  • Nursing
  • Nutrition
  • Physical Therapy
  • Pre-Medicine
  • Pre-Veterinary Medicine
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