S.C. University Breaks Ground on New Health Science Lab

Private Christian university Columbia International University, located in Columbia, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking and dedication for a new Health Science Lab facility. The 2,200-square-foot space will contain biology and chemistry lab classrooms and is scheduled to open in time for the fall 2022 semester, according to a news release.

The expanded academic space is intended to make room for biomedical science and other pre-requisite classes for the university’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. The program started accepting its first batch of applications in January, and classes start in August—pending approval of the State Board of Nursing.

“With every clinical course, [the students] will spend four weeks in simulation on campus before they spend four weeks in the hospital or the clinical setting,” said Jill McElheny, Director of Nursing Programs and Professor of Nursing at the university. “During those four weeks of simulation, we’ll debrief and learn from the mistakes they may have made, and then they’ll be checked off before they can enter the clinical facilities. They will be very well prepared.”

Dean of Science Programs David DeWitt attended the groundbreaking on Tuesday, Feb. 22, and called the new labs fundamental to the university’s mission to “educate people from a biblical worldview to impact the nations with the message of Christ,” he said. “When you look at the motto of CIU, ‘To Know Him and to Make Him Known,’ what we can do is prepare students from the biblical worldview to minister to the spiritual and physical needs of people.”

The university is partnering with Mashburn Construction as the project’s construction manager.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Los Angeles City College Breaks Ground on New Administration, Workforce Building

    Los Angeles City College (LACC) in Los Angeles, Calif., recently broke ground on a new $72-million administrative facility, according to a news release. The Cesar Chavez Administration and Workforce Building will stand four stories, cover 67,230 square feet, and play home to a wide variety of the school’s educational and administrative services.

  • Construction Begins on East Austin CTE-Focused High School

    The Del Valle Independent School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new CTE-focused high school in Austin, Texas, according to a news release. Del Valle High School will measure in at 473,338 square feet and have the capacity for 2,400 students.

  • Elevating Campus Maintenance: How Power Wash Drones are Transforming Educational Facilities

    As today’s campuses grow larger and more architecturally complex, keeping exteriors clean, safe, and inviting has never been tougher. Facilities leaders are under constant pressure to stretch budgets, meet safety standards, and support sustainability goals—all while tackling the stubborn challenge of exterior cleaning.

  • StarRez Releases 2025 State of Student Housing Report

    Student housing software solutions provider StarRez recently released its second State of the Student Housing Industry Report, according to a news release. The report is based on the results of survey data from more than 400 higher education institutions around the world, both StarRez clients and not.