Governor Jay Nixon held a press conference on the UMSL campus on Wed., Oct. 14, 2009 to announce Caring for Missourians. This initiative will provide state funding for public institutions of higher learning in Missouri to expand health professions education programs, including nursing and optometry. The Governor spoke at the College of Optometry and was joined by Dr. Larry Davis, Dean of the College of Optometry and Dr. Juliann Sebastian, Dean of the College of Nursing, and students in the College of Optometry. A total of 31 additional spaces will be added to the College of Nursing for students in the BSN, MSN, and PhD programs.