FUNDING REQUESTED FOR NEW
The Board of Regents of the
University System of Georgia has proposed funding in its Fiscal Year 2004
budget request to the Governor for a new $5 million nursing sciences building
at
The proposed 30,000 square feet facility will be built on the current
site of Creswell Hall and the
“With a growing enrollment in our nursing program coupled with a high demand for registered nurses, this new building could not have been proposed at a better time,” ABAC President Mike Vollmer said. “We hope the Governor and the members of the General Assembly will provide the funding for this project, which will serve the health care field for decades to come.”
The new two-story nursing building will include a tiered lecture classroom, which seats 100 students; three classrooms, which seat 45 students each; several skills labs, including a critical care lab, a pediatric lab, a maternal child lab, and a multi-purpose lab; and a computer lab, which will accommodate 30 students.
Other features will include a media area, 12 faculty offices, a student study area, a faculty planning room, storage
rooms, and a multi-purpose seminar room, which seats 100 people. This room will
be used for continuing education programs and community involvement. The
Wanda Golden, Chair of ABAC’s Division of Nursing and Health Services, said the proposed building will be very advantageous to the nursing program.
“One of the best features of this building will be its convenience,” Golden said. “It will be ideal to have all our facilities in one building. Being in one location will make a big difference and provide better access for nursing students.
“The field of nursing is becoming more and more complex, and we need to provide equally complex training experiences for students. This building will be equipped with state-of-the-art training facilities and the latest, most up-to-date technology.”
Interest in the nursing profession has increased, and so has the number of students enrolled in ABAC’s nursing program. Currently, there are over 600 students enrolled in pre-nursing courses and 172 students enrolled in nursing courses. The division has received 100 admission applications for next semester. This proposed nursing building will enable the college to admit more students into the program each semester.
“The need for registered nurses (RNs) is critical,” Golden said. “The current nursing shortage is expected to last at least 10 more years, with the need for RNs expected to continue to grow through 2030. We need the resources to help students successfully complete our program and enter the workforce. This new nursing building will provide the facilities and equipment they need to obtain the best training possible.”
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