Leaders from Dr. Phillips Charities and UCF announced a $10 million donation to support the College of Nursing’s new building, which will help UCF graduate more nurses and combat the nation’s critical nursing shortage while fostering more innovation and collaboration in Lake Nona’s Medical City.
The new home of the College of Nursing will sit on the 50-acre property already home to the UCF College of Medicine and the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center.
“Our mission is to give with purpose, and the purpose could not be more clear here — nurses save lives and our community has a great need for more talented nurses,” says Kenneth D. Robinson, president and CEO for Dr. Phillips, Inc. and The Dr. P. Phillips Foundation. “Dr. Phillips Charities is excited to make this investment in UCF to build a stronger educational ecosystem, a pipeline that will provide nursing talent to our region for generations to come.”
“Both Dr. Phillips Charities and UCF are rooted in the mission to transform lives, and this generous gift will have a transformational impact on our future nurses and educators, and on all in our community who will be touched by their talents and compassion,” says Alex Martins, chair of UCF’s Board of Trustees.
The generous donation will accelerate a campaign to raise $30 million to support the creation of a 21st century building that will house the College of Nursing’s education and research activities. The Florida Legislature previously allocated $29 million toward the approximately $60 million building during the 2022 legislative session. The new building is anticipated to open during the 2025-2026 academic year.
“We have a bold vision for the future, which is to continue to provide the highest quality healthcare to our community. This innovation and impact would not be possible without this lead gift contribution of Dr. Phillips Charities, and for that we are very thankful,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Our strong foundation of partnership and deep commitment to our region will deliver a real impact to our community.”
The new building is a much-needed investment for the region and the state, both of which are facing a critical healthcare worker shortage. The Florida Hospital Association estimates that an additional 2,300 registered nurses (RNs) are needed to enter the workforce each year to address the projected state shortage of 37,400 RNs by 2035.
UCF currently graduates more newly licensed RNs annually than any other institution in the State University System, with approximately 260 Knight nurses entering the workforce each year. With the support of the Florida Legislature, UCF is already investing $6.9 million to increase the university’s ability to educate more nurses, and more space is needed for these new faculty and students.
Once the new building is complete, the college expects to increase enrollment for new nurses and future nurse educators, grow the number of existing UCF faculty, and ultimately graduate an additional 150 new nurses annually to enter the healthcare industry — primarily in Florida. With 13,000 alumni to date, more than 85 percent of Knight nurses live and work in Florida.
With additional faculty, staff and space, the college also will grow enrollment capacity for its doctoral and master’s degree programs. These programs help educate more advanced practice providers, nurse leaders and executives, and nurse educators who are essential to fueling the pipeline of nursing faculty required to combat the nursing shortage.
“As a leader in nursing education, no other university is better equipped to be a part of the solution to the nursing shortage, and the many other healthcare challenges we face today and will face in the future,” says Mary Lou Sole, dean of the College of Nursing. “Today we are so lucky to have an incredible community leader who is helping to accelerate our efforts, Dr. Phillips Charities.”
Preliminary plans for the new building include classrooms as well as state-of-the-art learning labs for health assessment, essential skills and virtual reality located in an expanded space for the College of Nursing’s accredited Simulation, Technology, Innovation & Modeling Center, an international leader in providing high-quality simulation experiences to prepare students for clinical practice.
The design also calls for new research space — to include wet and dry labs — along with a host of student study spaces. When the new building is complete, the College of Nursing will relocate from its current location in Research Park and will have almost double its current square footage.
The location at the UCF Academic Health Sciences Campus also will offer students and faculty new opportunities for collaboration and enhanced learning and research experiences.
“I am proud to be a UCF Knight nurse, joining thousands of UCF nursing graduates on the frontline to provide compassionate, quality care to our community. We are impacting human lives, your friends, your family, your neighbors here in Central Florida. I have never felt so fulfilled, as there is nothing more heartwarming or rewarding than when I provide comfort to a patient and bring a smile to their face,” says Sayid Yasin ’22, accelerated second degree BSN alumnus. “Without a doubt, our community needs more Knight nurses to care for our community, and Dr. Phillips Charities’ generosity is going to help make that possible.”
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