UNMC plans new building for College of Nursing, Lincoln Division
The Lincoln Division of the UNMC College of Nursing turns away large numbers of qualified applicants each year because of inadequate facilities.
That would change with construction of a new facility on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus just north of the UNMC College of Dentistry and east of the Maxwell Arboretum. The Lincoln Division is currently housed in leased space in downtown Lincoln in mixed use space near retail and other businesses.
“A new building is vital to the future growth of the college in the Lincoln area, and to continuing our commitment to easing the nursing shortage in Nebraska,” said Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing. “Not only will the proposed facility add state-of-the-art classrooms, learning technology, conference and seminar spaces, but it also will allow us to educate more nurses at baccalaureate and graduate degree levels.
"In Lincoln, we currently turn away up to 60 percent of qualified applicants who would improve health care not only in the Capital City, but also in Falls City, Beatrice, Crete, Seward and other surrounding communities.”
The proposal is part of the University of Nebraska’s “Building a Healthier Nebraska” initiative, which seeks a $91 million investment from the state’s cash reserve fund to support capital projects in Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney.
NU leaders are requesting $17 million in state funds to build the Lincoln facility which would increase space for teaching, research and administration. Close to half of the Lincoln faculty is Ph.D.-prepared, active researchers who bring in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. Inadequate space limits research activities in the leased facility.
Nursing part of new health sciences education building in Kearney
The College of Nursing plans to expand its programs at the University of Nebraska Kearney campus. As part of a proposed new health science education building, nursing students will be able to work with UNMC’s allied health professionals in a team-like approach to rural primary care.
“The opportunity to expand our programs in the Kearney Division will help us educate more students in rural areas and focus especially on primary care and health needs in rural areas,” said Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing.
The existing space, though well suited when the College of Nursing opened in 1991, is inadequate for today’s curriculum and interactive, team-based learning, Dr. Sebastian said.
As part of part of University of Nebraska’s “Building a Healthier Nebraska” initiative, NU leaders are requesting $17 million in state funds to add a 30,000 square-foot addition to Bruner Hall of Science at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The building would increase teaching and research space, as well as educate more nurses for Nebraska.
The new facility also would provide opportunities to expand nursing’s enrollment, as well as cutting-edge approaches to interprofessional learning experiences for students preparing for careers in rural primary care, new models for acute and critical care and community-based care.
A new building would make it possible for the College of Nursing -- over a three-year period -- to expand total enrollment by 40 students. The expansion would include a mix of bachelor of science in nursing and graduate students in the nurse practitioner options.
