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NSCC Nursing Program Getting New Classroom, Lab Building By 2011




Northwest State Community College is planning to spend about $5.5 million to add about 20,000 square feet of additional classroom space for its nursing programs.

During its Friday, Feb. 5 meeting, the board announced Poggemeyer Design Group, Bowling Green, is designing the new Allied Health & Public Services Building.

Mari Yoder, vice president for institutional advancement, said the building should be ready by the fall of 2011. It was made necessary by the growth in enrollment in the nursing programs.

“All of our nursing programs, RN (registered nurse), LPN (licensed practical nurse)-to-RN, LPN, and STNA (state-tested nurse aide), are full,” Yoder said.

In the past, nursing and other Allied Health & Public Service programs were under one dean. Last year, the two departments were split, with a Dean of Nursing and a Dean of Allied Health.

Additionally, students from consortium colleges, colleges that cooperate with Northwest State, send their students to NSCC.

“We need more classroom space,” Yoder said.

Seed

About $1.3 million of the total $5.5 million price tag will come from the State of Ohio. The money has been built into the state budget for several years.

Yoder said the college has $3.5 million of its own money allocated.

“We’ve been putting away money for several years for a capital project,” she said.

The remaining $700,000 will also come from a state appropriation.

Yoder said while state offi cials have tentatively notifi ed the college they’re in line for the money, there are no guarantees.

Right now, Yoder said NSCC is working with Poggemeyer Design Group to design the building and prepare bidding documents.

Details

Plans for the building call for two stories of about 10,000 square feet each.

The classrooms will be designed to be flexible spaces, possibly with moving walls.

The building will feature nursing labs, faculty offices, and a “community training room,” which area health care professionals and organizations can use for training, education and recertifi- cation programs.

Currently, plans call for the building to be constructed on the south side of the present NSCC buildings, facing St. Rt. 34.

The building will incorporate a new “main entrance” to the college, with a small visitor-only parking lot.

“It will give us a visual front door,” Yoder said.

All classrooms will be wired for the latest technology.

“The state-of-the-art facilities in the new Nursing, Allied Health & Public Services building will allow us to continue to give our nursing students the cutting-edge training that will prepare them for successful careers,” said Tom Stuckey, NSCC president.

A Building

While the new building is under construction, the second floor of NSCC’s “A” building, the original campus structure built in 1972, will be remodeled.

While a new building for nursing students will provide more classroom space, it won’t open slots for additional students.

Yoder said the nursing program is limited by the availability of clinical sites, such as hospitals and other places where students can go for hands-on experience.


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