Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $62 million investment on May 2, 2025, to establish cutting-edge nursing simulation centers at three SUNY campuses—University at Buffalo, SUNY Canton, and Stony Brook University—to supercharge New York’s healthcare workforce. With $35 million in direct SUNY capital awards and campus-matched funds, the initiative, rooted in Hochul’s 2023 legislation, will transform nursing education by expanding simulation-based training. University at Buffalo will serve as the SUNY System-Wide Nursing Simulation Center of Excellence, while SUNY Canton and Stony Brook will act as regional hubs for the North Country and Long Island. The centers aim to boost prelicensure nursing enrollment by up to 192% at SUNY Canton, 67% at Buffalo, and 27% at Stony Brook over the next decade, addressing critical shortages in fields like labor and delivery and community health. This move, backed by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and state legislators, aligns with Hochul’s goal to grow New York’s healthcare workforce by 20%, complementing initiatives like free associate degrees and scholarships for high-demand fields.
Governor Hochul Announces $62 Million Investment to Establish SUNY Nursing Simulation Centers to Strengthen New York’s Health Care Workforce
University at Buffalo Selected as SUNY System-Wide Nursing Simulation Center of Excellence
SUNY Canton and Stony Brook University Selected as Regional Nursing Simulation Centers
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that nursing simulation centers will be established on three SUNY campuses as part of her signature legislation to expand simulation-based education in SUNY nursing programs. The $62 million investment includes $35 million in direct SUNY capital awards, with the remaining funds contributed by campus matches. The three nursing simulation centers will be located on the University at Buffalo, SUNY Canton and Stony Brook University campuses.
“By investing in nurses of the future, we’re investing in the talent of aspiring professionals across our state and in the health care workforce we all rely on,” Governor Hochul said. “The SUNY nursing simulation centers will make extraordinary strides toward preparing students and strengthening the pipeline of excellence in our SUNY system and beyond.”
The University at Buffalo has been designated a SUNY System-Wide Nursing Simulation Center of Excellence, envisioned as a cutting-edge hub for simulation-based education and innovation across the system. SUNY Canton and Stony Brook University have been named SUNY Regional Nursing Simulation Centers, and will serve as critical resources for the North Country and Long Island regions.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “SUNY is committed to strengthening New York’s healthcare workforce, and today’s groundbreaking investment in nursing simulation is a testament to this commitment, and a reminder of the key role public higher education plays in health outcomes and workforce development. Following enactment of Governor Hochul’s 2023 law championed by Senators Stavisky and Fahy and Assemblymember Lupardo to establish nursing simulation, SUNY is at the forefront of simulation-based nursing education – transforming how we prepare our students to address the healthcare workforce shortage and evolving healthcare needs of New Yorkers.”
SUNY Board Trustee Eric Corngold said, “This landmark investment takes us a step closer to providing nursing simulation centers across The Empire State and further advances our work with Governor Hochul and State leadership to address local and regional workforce shortages that are affecting many of our communities. We look forward to our continued progress in providing students interested in healthcare with the resources they need and deserve to obtain an excellent public education at the best value.”
The selected campuses will provide high-quality, hands-on training for some of the most needed clinical practice areas in health care, such as labor and delivery, high acuity cases, and community health. With their investments, each campus has committed to significant prelicensure nursing program enrollment growth, leveraging the legislation Governor Hochul signed in May of 2023 permitting nursing students to complete up to one-third of their clinical training through high-quality simulation experiences.
This further enhances the Governor’s other transformative initiatives to increase the state’s health care workforce, including Nurses and Healthcare Workers For Our Future Scholarships and free associate degrees at community colleges for students pursuing high-demand fields, including health care fields, all advancing Governor Hochul’s goal of growing New York’s health care workforce by 20 percent.
SUNY’s goal to fully leverage nursing simulation aligns with recommendations from the SUNY Future of Health Care Workforce Task Force , a group convened to guide SUNY in addressing the critical health care workforce shortage. In its findings, the task force identified fully leveraging nursing simulation as one of its four priority areas for short-term action and investment. The $62 million investment will directly support prelicensure nursing program enrollment increases. Collectively, the three designated simulation centers are projected to add hundreds of new prelicensure nursing students annually, while also expanding training capacity at partner SUNY campuses across the State.
The nursing simulation investment will have the following impact across participating campuses:
- At the University at Buffalo, the new system-wide nursing simulation center will support a 34 percent increase in prelicensure nursing enrollment in the first-year post-project completion, with a projected 67 percent increase over the next decade. By leveraging cutting-edge simulation technology and telepresence robots, UB will enable expanded in-person and remote participation in hyper-realistic clinical scenarios while fostering collaboration across campuses.
- At SUNY Canton, the new regional nursing simulation center will support significant growth across all levels of undergraduate nursing programs, including a 133 percent increase at the practical nursing level, a 160 percent increase at the associate’s level, and a 192 percent increase at the baccalaureate level within five years post-project completion. SUNY Canton’s simulation space will support nursing education in the North Country, where limited clinical placement opportunities present significant challenges in training future nurses, particularly in obstetrics, labor and delivery, and pediatric care.
- At Stony Brook University, the new regional nursing simulation center will support a 19 percent increase in prelicensure nursing enrollment in the first-year post-project completion, with a projected 27 percent increase over the next five years. Stony Brook will significantly expand its simulation space footprint to enhance in-person nursing education while also leveraging advanced simulcast software technology to provide remote learning opportunities across Long Island.
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky said, “I am delighted to see SUNY continuing its significant investment in its nursing simulation program. The creation of three centers at University at Buffalo, SUNY Canton, and Stony Brook University will not only address the shortage of nurses but ensure that they receive first-class training. The capacity of nursing programs will hopefully increase dramatically across all SUNY campuses. No longer will schools have to turn away qualified applicants. This is exactly the result I envisioned when the Governor signed Assemblymember Lupardo and my nursing simulation bill into law in 2023.”
State Senator April N. M. Baskin said, “This generous grant will have a profound impact on the lives of countless patients who will benefit from the training and expertise of the nurses that were fortunate to learn at the University at Buffalo, SUNY Canton, and Stony Brook University campuses. This cutting-edge medical simulation training can only improve clinical skills and enhance the professionalism of nursing students. Hands-on work by SUNY students will undoubtedly enhance actual clinical scenarios when patients’ lives are in their hands.”
State Senator Anthony Palumbo said, “This critical funding to establish a Nursing Simulation Center at Stony Brook University will help New York’s flagship university remain on the cutting edge of medical advancements in the field of nursing and will provide students with the skills and experience needed to meet today’s growing healthcare challenges. As home to Long Island’s Regional Nursing Simulation Center, SBU will equip the next generation of nurses—helping them provide the highest quality of care to patients throughout Long Island and the greater metropolitan region.”
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said, “There is no experience quite like hands-on experience and with these investments, SUNY is ensuring that students in the nursing programs at the University at Buffalo, Canton and Stony Brook, are equipped with the very best tools to learn and fill in the gaps within our health care workforce.”
Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman said, “This $62 million investment in SUNY’s nursing simulation centers is not only a victory for our students, but a critical step forward in building a more equitable and prepared healthcare workforce. As someone who proudly represents communities with some of the most dedicated future healthcare professionals, I know how transformative access to cutting-edge training can be. These new centers—from Buffalo to Canton to Stony Brook—will expand opportunity, increase enrollment, and prepare more nurses to serve in areas where they’re needed most. I applaud SUNY and Governor Hochul for this bold investment in the future of healthcare in New York State.”
Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest said, “As a nurse and a SUNY graduate, I’m happy to see this year’s record investment in nursing simulation centers at SUNY. Sims are absolutely critical in any nurse’s training and I’m glad to see SUNY creating regional centers that can help educate future nurses across the SUNY system.”
Assemblymember Rebecca Kassay said, “As SUNY Stony Brook’s representative in the New York State Assembly, I am thrilled to see this transformative investment in our region’s nursing education infrastructure. The establishment of a Regional Nursing Simulation Center at Stony Brook University is a critical step toward building a stronger, more resilient healthcare workforce on Long Island and across New York State. This initiative will not only expand access to high-quality, hands-on training for our aspiring nurses but will also support our hospitals, clinics, and communities by preparing more qualified professionals. I am grateful for SUNY’s leadership in pioneering innovative, simulation-based education that meets the moment and addresses our state’s urgent nursing shortage.”
Assemblymember Scott A. Gray said, “This new regional nursing simulation center represents a game-changer for SUNY Canton and the North Country. We will not only see substantial growth across our nursing programs, but more importantly, we will be able to provide our students with critical training that limited clinical placement opportunities have hindered in the past, especially in high-demand specialties like obstetrics, labor, and delivery, and pediatric care. This will ultimately lead to better healthcare outcomes for our communities.”
SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran said, “This major and transformative investment further establishes SUNY Canton as the North Country’s regional nursing education simulation center. It also will allow us to more than double access to our quality programs at all levels, allowing us to help fill the local and state-wide need for highly qualified nurses. The new simulation center will augment our hands-on learning opportunities and further strengthen SUNY Canton’s commitment to offering affordable, accessible and applied experiences with the School of Science, Health and Criminal Justice.”
University at Buffalo School of Nursing Dean Annette Wysocki said, “The School of Nursing at the University at Buffalo is grateful to Governor Hochul and honored to have been selected to establish the new SUNY System-Wide Nursing Simulation Center of Excellence that will be a major resource for SUNY system schools of nursing across New York State. The design and construction of a new simulation center will lead to educating faculty and the expert nursing workforce of the future where therapeutic advances are leading to new clinical challenges. This combined $34 million dollar investment to establish the SUNY System-Wide Nursing Simulation Center of Excellence at the University at Buffalo School of Nursing represents the largest investment ever made to develop resources for the School of Nursing and advance the future success of the nursing profession in New York state.”
Stony Brook University School of Nursing Dean Dr. Patricia Bruckenthal said, “We are grateful to Governor Hochul, SUNY, and Stony Brook University for this opportunity to expand and enhance nursing education through simulation-based learning. The Stony Brook School of Nursing NEXUS Innovation Center epitomizes our commitment to advancing nursing education through innovation and collaboration. By integrating cutting-edge simulation technologies, we are not only enhancing the clinical competencies of our students and nursing students across our region but also fostering an environment where interdisciplinary teams can engage in transformative learning experiences. This center stands as a testament to our dedication to preparing nurse leaders who will shape the future of healthcare delivery.”
Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine Dr. William A. Wertheim said, “As Suffolk County’s only academic medical center, Stony Brook University is proud to be at the forefront of healthcare education and workforce development. This designation as a SUNY Regional Nursing Simulation Center reflects our long-standing commitment to preparing the next generation of nurses. Through this important partnership with SUNY, we will significantly expand access to high-quality, hands-on clinical training — helping to address the critical nursing shortage, grow the healthcare workforce and ensure our communities have the skilled professionals they need to thrive.”
This announcement builds on a series of efforts by SUNY to expand and enhance nursing education through simulation-based learning. In October, Chancellor King announced the inaugural class of the SUNY Nursing Simulation Fellowship, a key initiative to further advance the integration of simulation into SUNY nursing programs. Additionally, SUNY has invested $3.7 million through its High Needs Nursing Fund to further advance simulation-based education across 40 of SUNY’s nursing programs. Over two consecutive years, the SUNY High Needs Nursing Fund has equipped SUNY campuses with the necessary tools, training, and resources to modernize and expand simulation experiences for students.
To further support simulation-facing faculty and staff across the SUNY system, an additional SUNY System-Wide Nursing Simulation Center of Excellence dedicated to faculty training and professional development in nursing simulation is expected to be announced in the near future.
About The State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.
May 2, 2025
Albany, NY
Sources: governor.ny.gov tv503.com/
midtowntribune.com bigny.com