Emporia State University has had a lot of success in fundraising for its Nursing + Student Wellness Center. Now it’s rapidly approaching construction for the new facility.
ESU has announced it will officially break ground on the building at 11 am April 24. The facility will bring the Nursing Department on campus after years at Newman Regional Health. Besides classroom and study space, the nursing area will include hospital simulation rooms and a multipurpose area with a fully-equipped kitchen for lessons on healthy meal choices. In addition to the classroom component, the new facility will likely serve as an outreach center for school students, attracting potential students to Emporia State.
The nearly $21 million facility has already received grants and other funding through the Jones Trust, Sunderland Foundation, Newman Regional Health and other organizations. It is also benefiting from an ESU Foundation decision to offer $3 million in unrestricted funds for projects and a separate approval for bonding authority from the Kansas Legislature.
This comes as there are roughly 3,300 open nursing positions across Kansas. Emporia State anticipates over one million new nurses will be needed by 2030 to fill shortages across the country.
