For Carole (CB) Eastman, nursing was never simply a profession. It was a calling rooted in compassion, service, and a deep commitment to helping others through life’s most challenging moments. Her spirit of caring deeply for patients now shapes the future of healthcare education at Missouri Southern State University.
CB and her husband, Kent Eastman, ‘75, have made a $250,000 gift to support the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center (RBHSIC), a state-of-the-art facility designed to prepare students for careers in the health sciences through immersive learning experiences. The Eastmans generously sponsored the ER/Trauma Suite, a key feature of the Center’s simulation hospital. Their gift helps students gain practical experience before entering the workforce, building confidence and clinical skills in an innovative training environment that mirrors real-world healthcare settings. This learning approach yields graduates that are ready to make an impact from day one.
The Eastmans’ lifelong passion for education and service makes this opportunity to support nursing education deeply personal — especially for CB. Throughout her distinguished career, she earned her Registered Nurse license, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Master of Science in Healthcare Administration. Her education shaped decades of service in roles spanning the operating room to private nursing support. CB also shared her knowledge with future healthcare professionals as an educator at Kansas City University and now serves on the Missouri Southern advisory board for the master’s in healthcare administration. Her hard work and expertise earned her numerous leadership positions, including Vice President of Nursing Services and Director of Surgical Services. In her abundance of experience, she had a front-row seat to the critical role nurses hold in patient care and, more broadly, the healthcare system.
"A good nurse is helping another nurse to be great," CB said.
Whether providing comfort during a difficult diagnosis, guiding families through recovery, or helping patients regain independence, she understands firsthand the impact that skilled and compassionate nurses have on their communities. That understanding inspired the Eastmans’ contributions to the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center and, additionally, their creation of the Carole (CB) Eastman Nursing Endowed Scholarship with a gift of $30,000. The scholarship will support nursing students while building upon a remarkable history of philanthropy at Missouri Southern — a history that has helped create multidisciplinary opportunities for generations of students.
For Kent, supporting students is equally personal. A graduate of Missouri Southern's Plaster School of Business with a degree in business administration, he and CB have a longstanding commitment to student success. In addition to their recent support of nursing education, the couple previously established the Kent and CB Eastman Endowed Business Scholarship to benefit full-time students within the Plaster School of Business. Kent was also a member of the men's golf team during his time at Missouri Southern. His lifelong love of golf was inspired by his late uncle, Art Wadkins, a respected golf professional for whom Kent worked for as a young man. That passion, coupled with a desire to honor his uncle's legacy, led Kent to establish support for the Art Wadkins Golf Scholarship, an endowed scholarship that benefits a full-time golf student-athlete.
"I wanted to help the people that helped me," Kent said.
Today, Kent is a longtime Joplin real estate professional and co-owner of Keller Williams Realty Elevate, serving Southwest Missouri with more than 50 years of industry experience. His commitment to Missouri Southern reflects both gratitude for the education and opportunities he received and a desire to ensure future students have access to similar experiences.
The Eastmans’ passion for healthcare has provided $5,000 to address immediate needs within Missouri Southern’s nursing department. They have also chosen to strengthen existing scholarships by helping remove barriers for students pursuing one of the nation’s most vital professions. Together, these gifts reflect CB’s belief that tomorrow’s nurses deserve every opportunity to succeed. After spending a lifetime caring for others, CB Eastman is helping ensure future generations of nurses are equipped with the skills and hands-on experience needed to make a difference.
While their giving has touched many areas of campus, a common thread connects the Eastmans’ financial commitment to Missouri Southern: a desire to invest in people. For the couple, philanthropy is about creating pathways for students to pursue their dreams, develop their talents, and make meaningful contributions to their communities. The generosity of CB and Kent Eastman reflects a belief in the transformative power of education.
