The University of Connecticut hosted a ground breaking event to mark the start of construction on the new School of Nursing building on Oct. 30 with faculty, students and benefactors.
“Today, we announce the start of the new era of the UConn School of Nursing,” said UConn President Radenka Maric.
A $50 million gift from UConn School of Nursing alumna Elisabeth DeLuca, class of ‘69, will fund the facility’s construction which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026 near the South Campus Residence Halls.
This is the largest donation UConn has ever received and these funds will provide nursing students with scholarships and programmatic support.
“UConn nurses have already and always have been leaders and innovators who drive meaningful and important changes in healthcare. This facility will position them as the national leaders in the discipline and the time and skilled and educated nurses that are needed more than ever,” Maric said.
Following her mother’s guidance, DeLuca pursued a nursing degree at UConn.
In an article with UConn Today, DeLuca said that her experiences within the school instilled lifelong appreciation for both the compassion nurses have and the professionalism they provide.
“I have a passion for letting nurses be more prepared for when they enter the workforce, and we’re working with curriculum ideas and just other innovations to make them more ready,” DeLuca said during the event. “I also think that we have a responsibility to work with employers in the state to make nursing, the nursing profession, be more respected and acknowledge that nurses can be part of collaboration with decision making and healthcare.”
Of DeLuca’s gift, $20 million will be used to cover construction costs for the new building while $5 million will be used to furnish the building with new equipment. The remaining funds will be turned into scholarships for nursing students.
“I think this new building will allow more nursing students to not only get enrolled and have the opportunity to learn about nursing, but also have the resources to better prepare themselves for clinical practices,” said Alyssa De Leon, a sophomore nursing student.
The 90,000 square foot building will have a brand new lecture hall, classrooms, a wet lab, student academic center, human behavioral research lab and simulation lab suite.
The new building and educational resources will allow nursing students to get more hands-on experience and practice prior to working with patients.
Many nursing students have expressed how unprepared they feel once they’ve completed the UConn nursing program and start working out in the field.
“I just really appreciate all of our advisors, all of our professors, taking note of that and really trying to work towards better preparing their students for what’s in store for their future,” said sophomore nursing major Krysteen Burke.
Nursing students aren’t the only ones benefiting from this new building. Junior physiology and neurobiology major Zaria Jarvis said that the new equipment in the building will help other students within the medical field.
“I do think it’s important, especially for the non nursing students as well, that are able to come into the building and learn from those experiences, as well as the equipment as well,” said Jarvis. “A lot of the same skills and experiences that the nursing students are learning are the same experiences and skills that I want to learn as well.”
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