A closer look at the Center for Nursing Science

An artist’s rendering of the College of Nursing’s new Center for Nursing Science as it will be seen from the UNMC Student Plaza. The new building will open on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, UNMC will celebrate the opening of the Center for Nursing Science on the Omaha campus.

Below are some facts about the College of Nursing’s new building.

What: A $14 million, 43,000-square-foot building that will enable the College of Nursing to enroll 265 additional students annually in Omaha by the year 2020 — an increase of nearly 70 percent over the current 385 students.

The week ahead Opening ceremonies for the Center for Nursing Science will be held Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the new facility. The event will be webcast and tours will be held beforehand from 9 to 10 a.m. Read UNMC Today this week to hear from others including Ruth Scott — one of the principal donors for the new center — and College of Nursing Dean Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., about the center’s impact.

Where: The building is adjacent to the college’s original facility at 42nd Street and Dewey Ave.

Why: The center will help the college meet shortages of nurses and nurse faculty. The projected shortage of nurses in Nebraska is expected to reach 20 percent by 2020 — about 3,800 registered nurses — with rural areas hit hardest. A large percentage of nurses are employed in hospital settings.

What’s in the new building: The new center will include:

• Five additional classrooms;
  
• Eight clinical skills development laboratories;
  
• Conference space;
  
• Five research spaces;
  
• A student technology cluster and technology teaching lab; and
  
• Office space.

Funding: It was funded entirely through private donations. Omaha philanthropists Ruth and Bill Scott were the lead donors for the project.

Research implications: The center will help the college in its goal to double its research funding by the year 2020, college officials said.