A sizable donation to a Seventh-day Adventist school puts it well on the way to expanding its nursing program.

Michael Lee-Chin, listed in Forbes Magazine as one of the world’s 500 wealthiest people, recently donated J$105 million (approximately US$1.48 million) to Seventh-day Adventist-owned and operated Northern Caribbean University (NCU). Lee-Chin met with university president Dr. Herbert Thompson and committed the funds on January 23.

Lee-Chin, chairman of AIC Limited and the National Commercial Bank Jamaica Ltd., (NCB) made his first donation of J$142 million (approximately US$2 million) in September 2006.

Both donations go toward the construction of NCU’s Hyacinth Chen School of Nursing, a state-of-the-art nursing facility named in honor of Lee-Chin’s mother.

“We are very grateful for this latest contribution toward the completion of the nursing school,” said Herbert Thompson, president of NCU. “It is my sincere hope that this contribution will encourage more persons outside of the church, and to a greater extent, those within, to assist the University with its church building and other projects slated to come on stream shortly,” he added.

Construction on the nursing school began in May 2007 and is scheduled to open in August 10. It will accommodate approximately 800 nursing students. With 400 nursing students now enrolled in the program, NCU has one of the largest nursing programs in the region.

Lee-Chin and NCB have also joined NCU in the financing of scholarships for 25 to 30 freshmen who will enter the Nursing school in August. The tuition scholarships are each valued at J$248,500 (approximately US$3,500) for students in their first year of study.