Bank of America has selected Nazareth University as its 2025 Neighborhood Builder in recognition of the institution’s work to expand educational access and strengthen career pathways for students across the region.
As the 2025 Neighborhood Builder, Nazareth University will receive a $50,000 grant distributed over two years, along with leadership development training for both an executive director–level leader and an emerging leader within the institution. The award also connects Nazareth to a national peer network of Neighborhood Builders, providing opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The funding will directly support the launch of SURPASS (Supporting Underserved Rural communities through Physician Assistant Student Success), a pilot program beginning in January aimed at increasing access to physician assistant education for rural students.
Designed as a hybrid model, SURPASS blends online coursework with intermittent in-person instruction during the first year, followed by a full year of supervised clinical practice in Rochester and at sites across the region. The structure reduces geographic and financial barriers that often limit rural students’ entry into health professions.
“For more than a century, Nazareth University has provided students in our region with vital access to education and resources and fostering generations of leaders in our communities,” said Colleen Matteson, president of Bank of America Rochester. “Through flexible funding and comprehensive leadership training, the Neighborhood Builders program will help support the inaugural class of Nazareth University’s SURPASS pilot program, which will make learning and programming for physician assistant students from rural areas more accessible.”
Nazareth leaders say the grant plays a crucial role in addressing persistent gaps in rural healthcare access.
Rural communities face notable shortages of primary care providers, a challenge worsened by workforce retirements, limited training opportunities close to home and difficulty recruiting clinicians to remote areas. By supporting the education of students who come from those communities, Nazareth hopes to shift that dynamic.
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“Our SURPASS grant will allow us to recruit and support students from rural communities, who are statistically more likely to return home to practice after graduation,” said Heather Grotke, director of Nazareth University’s physician assistant master’s program. “By investing in their education and clinical training, we’re helping to address the critical shortage of healthcare providers in rural areas and ensuring that patients in these communities receive the care they deserve.”
The Neighborhood Builders program is a core component of Bank of America’s broader efforts to promote economic mobility and community development. Since 2004, the bank has invested more than $346 million through Neighborhood Builders, providing flexible funding and leadership training to nearly 2,000 nonprofit organizations and more than 4,000 nonprofit leaders nationwide.
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Source: rbj.net
