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

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.