Roane State Community College’s Knox Regional Health Science Education Center receives $100,000 gift

Roane State Community College’s Knox Regional Health Science Education Center has received a $100,000 gift from Bonnie Carroll and her husband Roy Cooper. The couple decided to support the newly opened facility after touring it and realizing the impact it will have on the community. Their gift is a significant step toward the $7.5 million total the college is working toward to sustain and maintain the facility.

According to an article on Roane State Community College’s website, Scott Niermann, who serves as the executive director of Roane State Foundation, was quoted as saying of the couple’s gift, “We are thrilled to have the support of engaged citizens like Bonnie Carroll and Roy Cooper. Their generous donation moves us closer to our goal of ensuring all students have access to an excellent health science education. We look forward to building on this partnership.”

Carroll and Cooper had the opportunity to tour the Knox Regional Health Science Center earlier in 2026, and doing so helped them decide to provide the college with a gift to support the project. The couple noted that they had long been aware of the college’s reputation and of the increased need for well educated healthcare professionals in the region.

Carroll said, “When we were introduced to the plans for the new facility, we felt it was an investment that would have an immediate and then a continuing impact on the health of our community and the region. After seeing the operating simulation center, we are even more convinced that our investment will be an enduring one.”

The Knox Regional Health Science Center houses healthcare training programs offered by both Roane State Community College and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Knoxville. The facility is also home to the Roane State Simulation Center, the first of its kind in the state, that provides fully integrated simulation training across healthcare training programs. 

Current programs offered by Roane State Community College within the facility include nursing, EMS, and medical laboratory technology, with polysomnography and respiratory therapy courses on the way, as well as continuing education courses for healthcare professionals. Future program launches include diagnostic medical sonography (ultrasound), echocardiography, and neurodiagnostic technology programs.

Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville programs currently offered at the Knox Regional Health Science Center include Dental Assisting, Nursing Aide, Practical Nursing, and Surgical Technology.

For more information about Roane State Community College, visit the school’s website.