SUNY Leaders Tour Downstate’s Nursing Simulation Center
By Office of the President | Sep 22, 2026
Downstate welcomed SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees to campus for their September meeting, giving system leaders a closer look our history, academic programs, clinical training, and plans.
Before the meeting, I welcomed the group and led a brief campus tour. The trustees visited the academic side of campus, where they learned about Robert F. Furchgott, Ph.D., who shared the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. They also heard the story behind the Steven Levine Lectureship and viewed the wall recognizing faculty who support Downstate.
The tour concluded at our renovated Nursing Simulation Center. Trustees saw how hands-on learning provides realistic patient-care settings and equipment to practice clinical assessment, decision-making, teamwork, communication, and emergency response.
The visit highlighted SUNY’s investment in simulation-based nursing education. During the 2025–26 academic year, Downstate joined 29 other campuses receiving support through the High Needs Nursing Fund. SUNY awarded $746,500 in the current funding round and more than $4.4 million over three years for faculty training, simulation equipment, audiovisual technology, virtual and augmented reality, and other clinical learning resources.
New York State allows nursing students to complete up to one-third of their clinical education through approved simulation experiences. This approach expands training capacity and provides students with a safe setting to recognize changes in a patient’s condition, make time-sensitive decisions, communicate with care teams, and respond to emergencies.
Under the leadership of Marie-Claire Roberts, Ph.D., RN, Executive Director of the Simulation Center, students encounter realistic patient-care scenarios that strengthen their clinical judgment, critical thinking, and decision-making. They can practice, receive feedback, and refine their responses without placing patients at risk. These experiences build the skill and confidence needed to provide safe, compassionate care and support families in clinical settings.
The visit provided Chancellor King and the trustees a firsthand view of the breadth of Downstate’s work, from advanced clinical training in the Nursing Simulation Center to the site of the future hospital annex. They also reviewed plans for New York State’s $1.1 billion modernization of University Hospital at Downstate.
These investments will help Downstate prepare nurses for practice, strengthen New York’s healthcare workforce, and provide patients with safe, compassionate care close to home.
SUNY’s announcement about the visit and nursing simulation initiative
Tags: Nursing