Staff Writer
Melissa Mosgeller

Construction of the Wegmans School of Nursing is on schedule.

The Nursing School building will have new state-of-the-art nursing labs with computerized simulation mannequins, courtesy of a  $150,000 donation from the Glover-Crask Charitable Trust.  The mannequins will talk, have irregular heartbeats and exhibit medical problems.

"With this new building and technology, our nursing program is one of the best around," Dr. Dianne Cooney-Miner, the Wegmans School of Nursing Dean, said.  "We hope that with this we can increase our enrollment."

Dr. Cooney-Miner would also like to increase the enrollment in the graduate nursing program. 

The building will connect Ward to the academic buildings via covered walkway.  The main hallway will become the "Main Street" of campus as Joe Burkart, project manager of the building of the Nursing School, said.  There will be a central hallway that leads through the building into Pioch.

"There will be space for students to relax and meet with wireless Internet connection and a combination of hard and soft furniture," Burkart said.

The new building contains two new computer labs, a 100-seat classroom and two 50-seat classrooms. Also, there will be video conferencing capabilities.

The Nursing School will house not only the nursing program, but also, the mental health counseling graduate program and the Campus Wellness Center.  The mental health counseling program currently resides in Murphy Hall and the

Wellness Center is currently in Dorsey Hall. The decision to move the Wellness Center came about due to the lack of space in the Dorsey location.  However, with this new location, not only will the Center have the space it needs, but it will also be centrally located and more accessible to students.

With the movement of the Wellness Center comes the question of what will happen to the space where it is now in Dorsey?  Ideas are being discussed and nothing is set in stone for what will happen to that area.

"This new building gives the Fisher campus some more flexibility," Burkart said.

"It has been an exciting process to watch," Dr. Cooney-Miner said. "This school and building are going to enhance the Fisher community."