The Capstone College of Nursing will move into its new home this fall, said Tim Leopard, the University’s Assistant Vice President for Construction.
According to the College of Nursing’s website, the building has been under construction since the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2008. The project is drawing to a close and students will be able to take classes in the state-of-the-art facility beginning in the fall semester of this year, Leopard said.
Program growth was the deciding factor in beginning the project, which cost $16.5 million, Leopard said.
“The modern technology, the lab classrooms, the medical labs were what needed to be created,” Leopard said. “The decision had little to do with maintenance because we plan to continue to use Russell Hall.”
Chris Bryant from UA Media Relations echoed Leopard by saying the construction had more to do with accommodating a growing student body rather than a need to make improvements to the College of Nursing’s current home in Russell Hall.
“The decision was not a matter of repairs,” Bryant said. “[Russell] did not fit the school of nursing’s needs any longer due to increased enrollment.”
He also said nursing enrollment at the University has been increasing for years and a new building was needed to help Russell keep up with the demands a growing student population puts on classroom space.
Jaymee Watson, a junior majoring in nursing, said that, with the growing number of nursing students at the University, the new building offers much needed space.
“As the Capstone College of Nursing grows and more and more students become active in their programs, more and more space is going to be needed,” Watson said. “This new building not only creates space for more classes and labs, but it also includes more technological classrooms for students.”
James Adams, the project manager on the new nursing building, said work is nearly completed.
“They are moving in now,” Adams said. “We got a certificate of occupancy from the state last week and move-in is underway, with the last element being landscaping to be completed by the end of this week.”
Mary Clanton, a sophomore majoring in nursing, said the new building was one of the things that drew her to the nursing program.
“The new nursing building was one the main reasons I decided to declare my major as nursing,” Clanton said.
She also said the building has a very convenient location because of its proximity to Druid City Hospital. The technologically advanced classrooms also will help the nursing program improve, Clanton said.
“The technology will contribute greatly to my education with most of my class materials accessed through computers,” Clanton said. “The new nursing building will also bring more students into the nursing major and career.”
