Inspired by Education, Motivated by Passion

Bernadette Bott Marquez graduated from Michigan State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Bernadette Marquez worked for many years as a nurse, most recently at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. Today, Bernadette Marquez manages a corporate giving program that she established in 2000 for the prominent oil and gas company, Venoco, Inc. She also serves on the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education.

Timothy Marquez is founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Venoco, Inc. which is a public, Denver-based energy company. He also was founder and Chief Executive Officer of Marquez Energy, LLC. Together, the couple founded The Timothy and Bernadette Marquez Foundation and the Denver Scholarship Foundation.

Led by Bernadette Marquez's devotion to the profession of nursing and inspired by the education she received from Michigan State University, the leadership commitment from The Timothy and Bernadette Marquez Foundation has ignited continued planning and fundraising for the Nursing Addition. “We are honored to provide financial support for moving this project forward,” said Bernadette Marquez. “I want to leave a legacy at MSU that will enable continued growth and excellence in the nursing program. As an operating room nurse for more than 25 years, I have witnessed first hand the severity of the nursing shortage. I want to ensure that quality nursing care is available for all us in our time of need.”

Honoring this legacy and pending University Board of Trustee approval, the couple will be granted naming rights to the Nursing Addition. MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon states, “This gift will have a profound impact on generations of nursing students at Michigan State University and has transformed the dream of the Nursing Addition into a reality.”

Expected to cost $16 million, the Nursing Addition will be designed to address the future of nursing education and practice with advanced technological solutions, while maintaining the focus of the College of Nursing on care. Internet, satellite and superior multimedia enhancements will bring worldwide accessibility to the academic and continuing education programs of the College of Nursing. In the new Nursing Addition, the students' education will be enriched with opportunities to collaborate with expert faculty and healthcare professionals on furthering the translation of nursing research into practice.

“Notably, this gift is the single largest philanthropic commitment in the College's history,” said Dean Mary Mundt. “Bernadette Marquez's endorsement of this project embodies her personal value of the education she received and the couple's belief that a nursing education from Michigan State University should be accessible to future generations of students at all levels.”

“In response to the national nursing and nursing faculty shortage and in anticipation of support for a nursing addition, the university created a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Program in the fall of 2000 and strategically increased total enrollments in the College of Nursing more than 110 percent from 2003 to 2007,” said Simon. “We now need to focus on expanding the physical capacity to accommodate our enrollment growth.”

“Community involvement and philanthropy are very important to our lives,” said Timothy Marquez. “We are passionate about supporting projects that will help bring an end to the national nursing shortage.”

Now with the leadership commitment from The Timothy and Bernadette Marquez Foundation, more than 250 additional loyal benefactors and significant University support, nearly 91 percent of the funding needed for the Nursing Addition project is in place. Further planning for the Nursing Addition is now underway with final architectural renderings expected in 2009. “I am honored to be a part of marking a new era of excellence in nursing education at Michigan State University,” said Bernadette Marquez. “I hope others will join my husband and I in this challenge to be a part of history.”