The atrium of the new Health Science Education Center II will be named in honor of Carey and Brian Hamilton in recognition of their generous support of the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s rural health initiatives.
The Carey and Brian Hamilton Atrium will serve as a tribute to the couple’s commitment to strengthening UNK and rural Nebraska communities. The Hamiltons committed $5 million through the University of Nebraska Foundation through a combination of an outright gift and a future estate gift. Their commitment will support the UNK Endowed Fund for Rural Health Initiatives, which will exist in perpetuity to support current and future rural health initiatives at UNK.
The couple, who maintain residences in Omaha and Grand Island, serve as co-chairs of the UNK Campaign Committee for Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. A key priority of the campaign is to grow Nebraska’s health workforce pipeline to address a shortage of providers in rural communities.
“Carey and Brian have shown remarkable dedication to the University of Nebraska at Kearney and to the students we serve,” said UNK Chancellor Neal Schnoor, PhD. “As UNK Campaign Committee chairs, they have led with vision and energy, inspiring unprecedented fundraising progress that is shaping the future of the campus and the communities it serves. We are especially grateful for their exceptional leadership, which continues to elevate UNK’s mission and momentum. Their generosity is opening new pathways for aspiring health professionals and helping to build the rural health workforce Nebraska depends on. We are profoundly grateful for their continued support and for the lasting impact they are making through Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future.”
The three-story, 110,000-square-foot Health Science Education Center II opened on UNK’s west campus in January. As part of the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex, the facility will allow UNMC to expand its academic programs in Kearney. The UNK Endowed Fund for Rural Health Initiatives provides discretionary funding for high-impact rural health programs and the Kearney Health Opportunities Program.
A cooperative program between UNK and UNMC, KHOP recruits students from rural Nebraska and prepares them to practice health care in rural areas. KHOP students receive full tuition scholarships to UNK and are conditionally guaranteed admission to their specified program at UNMC.
“UNK’s health science programs are vitally important because rural Nebraska needs more health care professionals,” Carey and Brian Hamilton said in a statement. “We’re grateful to be able to give back to the communities where we live and work. We’re all connected, and when everyone lends a hand, we can make a real difference.”
Carey Hamilton earned a business administration degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1978. Brian Hamilton earned a business administration degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1972.
Carey Hamilton represents the fourth generation of the Beardmore family in the automotive industry. She began her career in the warranty department at Beardmore Chevrolet in Bellevue, Nebraska, and later became president and owner after purchasing the dealership from her brother following their father’s passing. Under her leadership, Beardmore expanded to include the Subaru and Hyundai franchises and additional operations in Kearney. Brian Hamilton began his career in the trucking industry before transitioning into automotive retail. In 1982, he and Carey opened Hamilton Chevrolet Cadillac BMW in Grand Island, where he led operations and community engagement. Brian is president of Midway Chevrolet Buick GMC and Midway Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Kearney.
The Hamiltons are University of Nebraska Foundation Trustees and former members of the foundation’s board of directors. Carey is a founding member of Women Investing in Nebraska. The Hamiltons have generously supported all four campuses of the University of Nebraska.
“Carey and Brian Hamilton are tremendous campaign leaders and generous supporters of the University of Nebraska,” said Brian Hastings, president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation. “The Carey and Brian Hamilton Atrium will serve as a fitting tribute to their volunteer leadership and their philanthropic support of UNK’s health science programs, which are vital to growing Nebraska’s health workforce pipeline.”
A dedication for the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex will be held May 14 in Kearney. The complex consists of the Health Science Education Center I, which opened in 2015, and the newly constructed Health Science Education Center II. With the addition of a second building, UNMC will offer medicine, pharmacy and public health programs in Kearney for the first time while also expanding its allied health and nursing programs. At capacity, UNMC’s enrollment in Kearney will grow to about 600 students.
The Hamiltons hope their gift inspires others to support UNK’s rural health initiatives. To learn more, email Keli Books, vice president of advancement for UNK at the University of Nebraska Foundation.