Avera and Mount Marty University Announce New Partnership for Nursing Education, the Avera Nursing Advantage

Avera and Mount Marty University announce the creation of the Avera Nursing Advantage program, which aims to provide an affordable pathway into nursing for more people in our region. The program names Mount Marty as a preferred educator of future Avera nurses, recognizing the long history of collaboration between the two Catholic ministries and their relationship with the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton. Avera is also founded by the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen. 

“For more than 60 years, nursing education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels has been a strategic advantage for Mount Marty University,” MMU president Marc Long said. “This new program with Avera enables us to educate more nursing students in our Catholic, Benedictine tradition so they can enjoy rewarding careers at Avera, caring for their neighbors in need.”

The Avera Nursing Advantage program will provide junior and senior nursing students at Mount Marty with a generous sponsorship and the ability to work within the Avera Health System after earning their bachelor’s degree in nursing. During those years MMU will not reduce institutional aid, so for most students the program will pay for their tuition and partial room and board for their last two years at Mount Marty. During all four years at MMU in Yankton, students also can work part-time as certified nursing assistants or patient care technicians at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital or Avera Sacred Heart Majestic Bluffs senior living community.

“Nursing is such a critical part of our health care ministry,” said Doug Ekeren, Regional President and CEO of Avera Sacred Heart Hospital. “We share a heritage with Mount Marty University and are proud of their strong nursing program and this partnership.”

The Avera Nursing Advantage was created in September 2024 and offered to seniors in MMU Bachelor of Science in Nursing program this fall. Thirteen students showed interest and all 13 agreed to sign up for the program. Avera is now offering the opportunity to junior BSN students.

"I appreciate Avera Health's investment in my classmates and me, and I'm looking forward to a rewarding career with Avera," said MMU senior nursing student Austin Vigants of Brandon, S.D. "I'm also grateful that the values I've learned and fostered at Mount Marty can be lived out through my work caring for patients at Avera."

“It’s exciting to think about expanding our clinical experiences for students,” said Kathy Magorian, dean of nursing and health sciences at Mount Marty. “We know that clinical is where the classroom and practice come together. While we currently offer a wide variety of clinicals in different facilities, this partnership will allow even greater expansion and learning for our students. Nursing students are always eager and excited for more clinical options.”

Students and families interested in the Avera Nursing Advantage program can contact the Mount Marty Admission Office at admission@mountmarty.edu or by calling 605-668-1545. Additional information is available at mountmarty.edu/avera-nursing-advantage.

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About Avera Health

No matter where you enter our doors, we work together to offer you the latest medical expertise and technology close to home. As a leading nonprofit health system in the Upper Midwest, Avera serves South Dakota and surrounding areas of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. Our footprint reaches across 72,000 square miles and a population of 1 million. For more information, visit avera.org.

About Mount Marty University

Founded in 1936 by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Mount Marty University is South Dakota's only Catholic, Benedictine institution of higher education. Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, with additional locations in Watertown and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on student and alumni success in high-demand fields such as health sciences, education, criminal justice, business, accounting, recreation management, and more. A community of learners in the Benedictine tradition, Mount Marty emphasizes academic excellence and develops well-rounded students with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills and moral, spiritual and social values. To learn more, visit mountmarty.edu.