Nursing Shortage Being Addressed With New Wing At UConn

STORRS — Connecticut may be facing a severe shortage of nurses, but a new facilities expansion at UConn will help the state’s largest nursing program accommodate more students than ever before.

The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees has approved a $14 million expansion and renovation of the School of Nursing that will provide state-of-the-art classrooms and examination labs for students at the main campus.

A new 15,800-square-foot wing will include a large lecture hall, a case-study room of up to 175 seats, a modern simulation lab and broadcasting capabilities for remote learning. Construction is expected to begin in 2010 with a tentative opening date scheduled for the fall of 2011.

“The emphasis in the new wing will be on the creation of public and student spaces such as a simulation laboratory and teaching labs,” said Nursing School Dean Anne R. Bavier.

The new wing will be known as the Widmer Wing in honor of the School’s first dean, Carolyn Ladd Widmer. It will be built to the east of the existing 35,000-square-foot school, which is located in the 103-year-old Augustus Storrs Hall on Glenbrook Road. Storrs hall is named after one of the university’s founders (his brother Charles was cofounder) and is the oldest brick building on the Storrs campus.

Planned renovations for the existing building include improvements to the roof, windows, and flooring. A 4,000-square-foot modular building the School of Nursing has been used to meet the demand for classroom space will be dismantled. Money for the project will come from the UConn 2000 program, which is a $2.3 billion, 20-year state investment in the university’s infrastructure.

The new wing will also feature a large, central entryway and reception area showcasing the Josephine A. Dolan Collection of Nursing History. The new space is designed to reflect the School of Nursing’s philosophy — “Proud Past, Bold Future.”

“The entryway was designed so that people can see the breadth and depth of how nursing has evolved. It will be something that will draw people in, something they might usually go to a museum to see,” said E. Carol Polifroni, associate dean for the nursing school. “The addition itself was designed so that our students can maximize their environment so they can learn to be the best nurses they can be.”

The addition will be one-story high above ground and will be directly connected to Storrs Hall. It will be built into a gentle greenway slope to the east of the existing school and have an attractive rooftop reception area. One of the new building’s prominent design features will be a large glass front to allow lots of natural light into the space, Ms Polifroni said.

“We want to create space that is both aesthetically attractive and complementary to the existing environment,” Ms Polifroni said.

The case-study room will have movable desks and chairs so that students can congregate in groups for classroom discussion and projects, Ms Polifroni said. It will also have broadcast capabilities so that students in the classroom can watch, critique, and discuss what other students are doing in one of the simulation labs.

Ms Polifroni said the expanded high-tech capabilities will allow both instructors and students to get the most out of the learning experience.

“Nursing is an applied science, so it’s important that students learn to work together solving the complex problems people present with in the modern health care system,” Ms Polifroni said. “Right now, we can only allow one or two students to work with a simulated patient mannequin at one time.”

The architectural firm of Tai Soo Kim Partners LLC of Hartford is designing the addition. The firm has won numerous awards for its designs and most recently drafted plans for the Chase Tallwood Science, Math and Technology Center at Kingwood Oxford School in West Hartford, Great Path Middle College Academy at Manchester Community College, and Stamford’s Roger’s International Environment School.

The University of Connecticut’s School of Nursing is Connecticut’s largest nursing program, graduating more than 200 individuals prepared for entry into basic nursing per year. The School of Nursing offers undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, certificate, and continuing education levels including a popular Master’s Entry Into Nursing (MbEIN) program for individuals pursuing nursing as a second career and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.

The UConn School of Nursing is fully approved, accredited and committed to quality education, research and public service. More information about the school can be found at www.nursing.uconn.edu or by calling 860-486-3716.