News
October 31, 2018
New Golisano Institute at St. John Fisher College Will Transform the Health Care and Support of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
Yesterday was a historic day as we announced the creation of the new Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at St. John Fisher College Wegmans School of Nursing. This will be the first institute of its kind in the country, and will have local, national, and international impact.

The innovative partnership is made possible by a $5.8 million gift, $5 million from Tom Golisano and $800,000 from the Golisano Foundation. 
Video of the announcement courtesy of WXXI, Partner of the Golisano Foundation in Move to Include
The Golisano Institute will be led by Dr. Dianne Cooney Miner, founding dean of the Wegmans School of Nursing, the largest enroller of nursing and mental health counseling students in the region. It will also capitalize on the network of Golisano Children’s Hospitals and community health centers as well as the Foundation’s collaboration with Special Olympics Health to extend the Institute’s reach.  

The Golisano Institute will:
  • Deliver an internationally recognized and technology enriched curriculum for developmental disability nursing education through on-the-ground and online micro-credential formats, as well as the use of avatars and the state-of-the-art simulation lab in the School of Nursing. 
  • It will lead the effort to enhance nursing curricula in the care of individuals with developmental disabilities at the national and global level to ensure that entry level and advanced practice nursing graduates are fully prepared to care for this special population. 
  • Hospitals, health centers, schools, advocacy groups, and families around the country and across the globe will have access to a strong network of community clinical nurse specialists who will advise them on providing care for individuals with developmental disabilities.
  • The Golisano Summer Fellows Program will offer specialty training in developmental disability health care and policy to develop the next generation of thought leaders who will care and advocate for this unique population. As well, current health care professionals will be exposed to best practices through a biannual national symposium bringing together expertise from health systems and health practitioners, specialty organizations along with other Golisano supported institutions including the Special Olympics. 
Top Photo (l to r): St. John Fisher President Gerry Rooney, Golisano Foundation Trustee Jim Murray, Golisano Foundation Director Ann Costello, Golisano Foundation Trustee Phil DiPasquale, Special Olympics Sr. VP of Health Drew Boshell, Golisano Foundation Trustee Bill Destler, Special Olympics Health Messenger and Athlete Cori Piels, Golisano Foundation Trustee Chuck Graham, St. John Fisher Wegmans School of Nursing Dean Dr. Dianne Cooney Miner, Wegmans School of Nursing Assistant Professor Beth Kiss, and Liz Dollinger, 2011 nursing school graduate, clinical adjunct instructor, and student in SJFC's psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program.
About Tom Golisano
Tom Golisano  is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader and the founder and chairman of the Board of Paychex , a leading national provider of payroll, human resource, and benefit outsourcing solutions. Mr. Golisano has demonstrated an ongoing dedication and commitment to a many civic issues and organizations. His personal philanthropic contributions to the Golisano Foundation, hospitals, educational institutions and other organizations now exceed $310 million. This includes gifts exceeding $37 to Special Olympics to increase year-round access to inclusive health for people with intellectual disabilities world-wide. 

About Golisano Foundation
The Golisano Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States devoted exclusively to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1985 with an initial gift of $90,000 from Tom Golisano, the founder and Chairman of Paychex, the Foundation now has more than $40 million in gross assets, has awarded more than $24 million in grants, about $2 million annually, primarily to non-profit organizations in a multi-county region surrounding Rochester, New York, Western New York and Southwest Florida.