From Stockton to Service: Willow Hall Prepares Students to Transform Their Communities

Stanislaus State leaders, students and community partners celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Willow Hall at the Stockton Campus, marking a major investment in health and human services education for the region.

STOCKTON, Calif. - For Stanislaus State Master of Social Work student and Stockton native Delilah Rice, pursuing a career in social work means serving the same community that shaped her.

Her commitment is rooted in something larger: a belief in access, opportunity and the power of education to transform not only individual lives, but entire communities.

"Having access to public education in Stockton means everything," Rice said. "It means that students do not have to leave behind their roots to chase their dreams. It means that higher education is not reserved for a few. It belongs to all of us."

That vision is reflected in Willow Hall, a $54 million investment at Stanislaus State's Stockton Campus that expands access to high-demand health and human services education while strengthening the San Joaquin Valley's workforce.

From campus leaders to community and health partners, the message was clear: Willow Hall is a shared investment in expanding access, strengthening the region's workforce and improving health outcomes across the San Joaquin Valley.

"Willow Hall is more than steel and glass. It's more than classrooms and labs. It is a promise," said Stanislaus State President Britt Rios-Ellis. "A promise that access to high-quality public higher education begins right here in Stockton - and that when Stan State thrives, the Central Valley thrives."

The name Willow Hall carries symbolic meaning. The willow tree, long associated with healing and resilience, plays a vital role in sustaining the San Joaquin Delta - stabilizing its environment. Rios-Ellis said the building reflects that same purpose: to help stabilize and sustain the human ecosystem of the region.

"Across the Northern San Joaquin Valley, we face profound health disparities, social vulnerability and workforce shortages," she said. "At Stanislaus State, we believe in a simple but transformative model: grow local, train local and stay local. This is why Willow Hall is not only an academic building - it is a workforce engine. It is a public health intervention."

Former State Sen. Susan Eggman, who was instrumental in securing the $54 million state allocation for Willow Hall during President Emerita Ellen Junn's tenure, described the building as part of her long-standing commitment to expanding opportunity and healthcare access in the region and emphasized that the work is far from finished.

"We know that parts of our region are a healthcare desert," Eggman said. "This is about bringing training and opportunity here - where the need is greatest - and preparing students who will go on to transform their communities."

Nearly 300 people attended the dedication at the Stockton Campus.

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Inside Willow Hall, that model takes shape through hands-on, applied learning environments designed to prepare students for careers in high-demand health and human services fields.

The building includes more than a dozen classrooms and specialized instructional spaces, including a team-based learning classroom that supports collaborative, real-world problem solving. At its core is the Health Plan of San Joaquin Health and Human Services (HHS) Training Center, supported by a $2.5 million investment that expands clinical training capacity for nursing and other health professions students across the region. The center features advanced simulation and clinical skills labs where students can practice complex patient-care scenarios before entering clinical placements.

A high-fidelity simulation lab, supported by an $817,000 grant from Health Net, allows students to train using advanced technology that replicates real patient responses, strengthening clinical judgment, teamwork and decision-making skills in a controlled environment.

"Ninety percent of our nursing graduates stay local to serve our community," said Stockton Campus Dean Sarah Sweitzer, highlighting the impact of training students where they live.

Expanded lab space also allows for more hands-on experience, with additional beds enabling lower student-to-patient ratios and more frequent opportunities to practice clinical skills.

"That's the important part - building capacity in our students so they can shine," said Sheri Coburn, a Stan State alumna and nursing faculty member who served as the lead grant writer in support of the clinical skills labs.

Expanding that capacity is made possible through partnerships with regional healthcare and community organizations addressing workforce shortages across the San Joaquin Valley.

"Willow Hall will be a central institution for the region, bringing together educators, students and community partners to expand what is possible," said Lizeth Granados, CEO of Health Plan of San Joaquin. "We will see the impact in stronger clinics, more accessible services and healthier families - and in a workforce that reflects and understands the communities it serves."

"This investment demonstrates the power of collaboration when education, healthcare and community-based organizations come together around a united purpose," said Amber Kemp, vice president, Medi-Cal Strategy, Execution, and Engagement at Health Net.

Regional workforce partners are also investing in long-term talent development to ensure students can train, graduate and remain in the communities they serve, including through initiatives like graduate student scholarships in mental and behavioral health.

"The best solution to our region's healthcare challenges is to grow our own," said Paul Lanning, CEO of HealthForce Partners California. "When students can train for nursing, social work, and healthcare careers close to home, at an affordable public University, they stay and serve their communities. That's exactly what Willow Hall makes possible, and why we are proud to support Stanislaus State with this worthwhile initiative."

Together, these efforts reflect a broader commitment to strengthening healthcare access and opportunity across the Central Valley.

For Rice, that impact is already taking shape.

"As we open the doors to Willow Hall, I think about the future students who will walk into this space," Rice said. "They will walk in with dreams, with doubts, with questions - but also with hope. This building will become a place where they find their confidence, build connections and discover who they are and who they want to become.

"And just as importantly, I think about who they will be when they walk out of these doors. They will leave not only with knowledge, but with purpose - ready to serve their families and uplift their communities. They will step forward as leaders, as changemakers and as proud representatives of Stockton - carrying with them the belief that their future is not limited by where they come from but strengthened by it."